42 Palestinians killed in Israeli operation in Gaza Strip since Wednesday: medics

A total of 42 Palestinians had been killed and more than 150 others wounded since Wednesday when Israel launched a ground operation dubbed "Autumn Clouds" in Gaza Strip, a Palestinian official medic said on Saturday.

Mo'weya Hassanein, chief of emergency in the Ministry of Health, told reporters that 42 Palestinians had been killed so far, saying the number would mount as long as the Israeli army operation goes on.

"The Israeli army is using all kinds of weapons and ammunition against the Palestinians," said Hassanein, adding that the Israeli army killed "women, children, paramedics and ambulance drivers."

On Saturday, five Palestinians were killed during the Israeli offensive, medical sources said.

The Israeli army aircraft carried out intensive and consecutive attacks on the northern and southern Gaza Strip, killing a senior member from the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas).

23-year-old Hamas member Lo'ai al-Bourno was killed when his car was directly hit by an air-to-surface missile in northern Gaza City, witnesses said.

Hamas movement mourned al-Bourno, who is a commander of al- Qassam Brigades, Hamas movement's armed wing, and an expert in manufacturing homemade rockets.

In northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Hanoun, two Palestinians were killed in two separate airstrikes carried out early on Saturday by Israeli aircraft missiles, said Palestinian medics, adding that two others who were in critical conditions died of their wounds.

Meanwhile, Hassanein said that 20 Palestinians were killed on Friday, eight were killed on Thursday and nine more were killed on Wednesday during the Israeli "Autumn Clouds" operation.

However, an Israeli army spokesman said that most of those were killed are militants who had been involved in launching homemade rockets from Gaza Strip at Israel.

In the West Bank, an Israeli army force killed on Saturday morning the commander of Islamic Jihad (Holy War) armed wing in the West Bank City of Bethlehem, Palestinian security sources and eyewitnesses reported.

Source: Xinhua