Three Palestinians were killed and another four were wounded in Shatee refugee camp in Western Gaza City in an Israeli air strike on Wednesday afternoon, witness and medical sources said.

The clash came after Israeli tank shelling on eastern Gaza Strip and the Jabalia area of the Northern Gaza Strip killed two civilians on Wednesday morning.

Witnesses said that heavy exchange of fire took place in these two areas. Palestinian militant throw grenades to Israeli soldiers and Israeli tanks bombarded them back.

But Israeli tanks have not push forward until now, the witnesses added.

Residents in the Gaza City said Wednesday that they enjoyed a comparatively quiet time in the morning, which was soon broken by the fresh tank shelling.

On Jan. 3, the Israeli army carried out a ground operation into the Gaza Strip and had seized strategic posts and locations just eight days following intensive air strikes on houses, mosques and security installations.

Mo'aweya Hassanein, emergency chief in Gaza, said on Wednesday morning that 977 Palestinians were killed and 4,500 wounded since the beginning of the Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip on Dec. 27, 2008.

Source: Xinhua