5 dead in Gaza car bombing, airstrikes
Three Palestinian militants were killed and 13 Israeli soldiers wounded when one of two explosives-laden cars blew up at a Gaza border crossing Saturday, an Israeli spokeswoman said. The explosives detonated as an Israel Defense Forces unit arrived at Kerem Shalom crossing at Gaza's southern end about 6:30 a.m., the spokeswoman said. The second car was not detonated. Hamas claimed responsibility for the attack. Shortly after, an Israeli tank opened fire on another explosives-laden vehicle in the area of Kibbutz Nirim, near the Kissufim area, the spokeswoman said. There were no immediate reports of casualties. A fourth Palestinian was killed by an Israeli airstrike as he approached a security fence at the Nahal Oz fuel terminal crossing, near the northern end of Gaza, at 5:30 a.m., Israel said. In addition, Palestinian sources said a Hamas policeman was killed in an airstrike Saturday afternoon in Rafah, along Gaza's border with Egypt. The Israel Defense Forces confirmed an airstrike on a car in the Rafah area. The spokeswoman said that there were at least three other attacks by militants at these crossings in the past week. |
