Two separate airstrikes kill four Palestinians in southern Gaza

Four Palestinians were killed and 33 injured late on Tuesday night in two separate Israeli airstrikes on the cars of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) militants in southern Gaza Strip town of Rafah, medics said.

Palestinian eyewitnesses said that the first airstrike was carried out by an Israeli reconnaissance drone, which fired one air-to-ground missile at a car, where two Hamas militants were in.

They added that a huge explosion was heard, then dozens of residents rushed towards the scene and saw the car totally destroyed.

"Two militants in the car, one was killed and the other was critically wounded, 21 bystanders were wounded by the missile's shrapnel," said the witnesses.

However, Palestinian medics at Rafah Hospital confirmed that one was killed and another one was critically wounded, adding that he died later of his sustained wounds.

About one hour after the first airstrike, another Israeli army reconnaissance drone targeted by two missiles on another car that drove in one of the town's streets, said the eyewitnesses, adding that two were killed and 12 others wounded.

Medics said that the death toll in the two airstrikes rose to

four, adding that 33 Palestinian bystanders were injured, and all were taken to the hospitals in southern Gaza Strip.

The four killed are militants, members of al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas.

The first attack was confirmed by an Israeli army spokeswoman, who said the air strike targeted a car carrying the Palestinian militants in the southern Gaza town.

She said that "two members of Hamas were in the vehicle at the time and were on their way to carry out an attack on Israel."

Israel has pressed ahead an massive air and ground offensive in the Gaza Strip in a bid to rescue a soldier kidnapped by Palestinian militants on June 25 and halt Palestinian rocket fire, during which over 200 Palestinians have been killed.

Source: Xinhua