An Israeli aircraft fired missiles at a car with Hamas gunmen in the southern Gaza Strip late Wednesday morning, killing five Palestinians, dpa quoted first aid officials as saying. At least three others were injured, Gaza emergency services chief Mo'aweya Hassanein said. Witnesses said two missiles hit the white van as it was travelling in the sand dunes west of Khan Younis. A third missile struck nearby some 10 minutes later, killing no-one, they said. An Israeli military spokeswoman confirmed the attack, which she said was a joint operation by the Israel Air Force and Shin Bet internal security organization. She said the targets were several vehicles with armed militants travelling in the area. An Islamic Jihad memeber was also killed overnight in central Gaza's al-Bureij refugee camp, the faction said. It said he died in an earlier airstrike, but the Israeli military denied involvement. They also launched at least nine mortars shells in the past two days, the military said.
