One Palestinian was killed and at least four others were wounded in an Israeli air raid near the southern Gaza town of Rafah on Sunday, Palestinian security sources said.

An Israeli military plane fired a missile at a car carrying five members of Izz el-Deen al-Qassam Brigades, which is an armed wing of Hamas, in the village of Shuka near Rafah, said the sources.

The militants managed to jump out of the car and escaped the attack, but the Israeli plane then fired a second missile at the militants, said the sources.

Reports conflicted concerning the identities of the casualties.

Palestinian security sources said that one Palestinian bystander was killed and at least four others were injured.

But witnesses said that the killed Palestinian was one of the five Hamas militants targeted by the Israeli airstrike, adding that the four other militants were wounded.

Palestinian medics said that one of the injured was in critical condition.

The Israeli army confirmed the airstrike, which it said targeted Palestinian militants.

Israeli troops continued a massive ground and air offensive in the Gaza Strip on Sunday in a bid to free an Israeli soldier kidnapped by Palestinian militants on June 25 and prevent Palestinian militants from firing rockets onto Israel.

Izz el-Deen al-Qassam Brigades took part in the June 25 cross- border raid on an Israeli army post, during which two other Israeli soldiers were killed and the 19-year-old Corporal Gilad Shalit was kidnapped.

Source: Xinhua