GAZA CITY, July 7: Six Palestinians were killed on Friday as Israel pressed on with its bloody offensive in Gaza, a day after reoccupying land in the deadliest 24 hours in the Palestinian territories for four years.

Israeli artillery and aircraft pounded a neighbourhood in the northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Lahiya for a second day. Twenty-eight Palestinians and one Israeli soldier have been killed since the offensive began on Wednesday.

The UN Security Council debated a draft resolution demanding Israel withdraw from Gaza immediately and release detained Palestinian officials.

But the United States described the text as ‘unbalanced’ and troops continued their ground assault aimed at securing the release of a soldier captured by Palestinian militants on June 25.

Two Palestinians were killed by an Israeli air strike in the Al-Atatra area of Beit Lahiya.

Four Palestinians, including a teenager, a deaf man and a gunman were killed by Israeli tank and air fire in separate incidents on Friday at the same spot.

In the occupied West Bank, another Palestinian militant was shot dead in clashes with Israeli forces in Nablus, where radicals have threatened to unleash untold violence should Israel move further into Gaza.

“Israel will release prisoners to free kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit. We’ve done it in the past to free hostages and in exchange for calm,” Public Security Minister Avi Dichter was quoted as saying by the online news site Ynet.

Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas charged Israel’s offensive had unleashed ‘new crimes against humanity’, in comments carried by the WAFA news agency.

Mr Abbas urged the international community and UN Security Council to pressure Israel into ending ‘this destructive policy immediately’.

Three Israelis were wounded when five rockets rained down on the town of Sderot. —AFP