GAZA CITY, Aug 24: Four Palestinians were killed on Sunday night when two Israeli attack helicopters blew up a car with missiles in the west of Gaza City, a senior Palestinian official said.

The vehicle suffered a direct hit, said General Saeb El Ajez, in charge of national security for Gaza City and the northern sector of the Palestinian territory.

Witnesses said two members of the radical group Hamas were among the four killed. They identified them as Wahid al-Hams and Ahmed Shtawi, members of Ezzedine al-Qassam.

The two other victims were not identified.

Ajez said several other people were wounded in the attack, which took place on the coastline and near the local offices of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. They were taken to the city’s main al-Shifa hospital.

An AFP correspondent had seen two Israeli attack helicopters flying over the city before the second Israeli “targeted killing” this week following the assassination of a senior Hamas leader on Thursday in a similar strike.—AFP