Palestinian medics affirmed that four Palestinians were killed and several others injured on Thursday night as an Israeli reconnaissance drone fired one rocket at northern Gaza Strip.

Doctors at local Kamal Odwan Hospital said that four Palestinians were killed and several others injured by the shrapnel of an Israeli rocket which was fired from a drone and landed near a group of gathering.

Witnesses said that one air-to-ground rocket was fired from an Israeli drone at al-Salateen neighborhood in the town of Beit Lahia, adding that they saw dead and wounded people lying on the ground as others were screaming.

The Israeli air forces have been intensifying its airstrikes on Palestinian militants on northern Gaza Strip on Thursday, killing at least 19 Palestinians, most of them are militants.

As the Israeli army intensified its air strikes on northern Gaza Strip, the Israeli army had enlarged its ground military operation and reoccupied the territories that four Jewish settlements were built on it.

More than 50 tanks, armored vehicles, personnel carriers and bulldozers are acting in the area aiming at preventing militants from launching homemade rockets at southern Israeli towns.

Basically, the Israeli military offensive which is called " Summer Rains" was started to free an Israeli captive soldier that was abducted by Palestinian militant groups led by ruling Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) armed wing in the Gaza Strip early last week.

The Hamas armed wing and the other two militant groups are still holding the Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit as a hostage and refuse to free him until Israel free prisoners jailed in its prisons.

Israel rejects the militants' demands and insists to carry on with military offensive until the Israeli soldier is freed.

Source: Xinhua