Israelis shell Gaza Strip

Published May 7, 2006

GAZA: Israel killed a Palestinian and wounded two others on Saturday, medics said, in artillery fire at Gaza that followed a series of rocket attacks on Israel.

The Israeli military had no immediate comment on the killing that came a day after media reports said Palestinian militants had fired half a dozen homemade rockets from Gaza at southern Israel, causing no casualties.

Medics said a Palestinian died and two others were hurt when an artillery shell struck after dark in Beit Lahiya, a town in northern Gaza.

An Israeli air strike on a training camp killed five Palestinian militants in Gaza on Friday, in the first such strike ordered by Israel’s new defence minister, Amir Peretz, of the left-of-centre Labour party.

The Israeli military has recently stepped up strikes against militants, including artillery barrages targeting rocket launch sites used by militants. —Reuters