By Xinhua
Gaza : Twelve Palestinians were killed and 10 wounded in a series of Israeli air and ground strikes on Gaza militants, hospital and other sources said Thursday.
During the strikes since Wednesday, Israeli army forces hit a militants’ car in southern Gaza City, fired several artillery shells at militants in northern Gaza and sent ground forces into the northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Hanoun.
Mo’awyea Hassanein, chief of emergency in the Palestinian ministry of health, said in a statement that a Palestinian man died of wounds Thursday. He was critically wounded Wednesday night in northern Gaza.
The Islamic Jihad confirmed that one of its militants, who exchanged fire with Israeli soldiers in the town, died of wounds.
Hassanein said that two Palestinians were killed and four wounded in an Israeli air strike on a group of people near the town. Hamas said that the two dead are members of its armed wing al-Qassam Brigades.
On Wednesday evening, an Israeli artillery shell felt near one of the houses in Beit Hanoun, leaving five people dead and five wounded. Two of the dead were members of the Popular Resistance Committees (PRC).
Shortly before the artillery shelling, an Israeli aircraft struck a car with four militants, members in the radical group called the Army of Islam in southern Gaza City. Hassanein said all were killed.
Also Wednesday, the Israeli army sent several tanks and armoured vehicles in Beit Hanoun, which was in action for several hours before pulling back before dawn. The aim of the fast operation was to crackdown on militants.
A RIA Novosti dispatch from Tel Aviv quoted Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak as saying Wednesday that his government was about to launch a full-scale military operation in the Gaza Strip to counter Palestinian rocket attacks.
He said that pinpoint air strikes and local raids were not effective enough to stop the rocket attacks on Israeli towns bordering Gaza.
“We are getting closer to carrying out a widespread operation in Gaza which for many reasons has not taken place in the past weeks,” Barak said on Israel’s Army Radio.
Palestinian militants has intensified rocket attacks, including a Qassam rocket attack on the Zikim Israeli military training base on Sep 11 that caused injuries to around 70 recruits.
Last week, Israel declared the Gaza Strip, with a population of 1.5 million, an “enemy entity,” and said it would reduce fuel and power supplies.
On Sep 12 2005 the Israeli cabinet officially announced the end of military rule in the Gaza Strip, more than 38 years after they had captured the area in the 1967 Arab-Israeli War. The move came after a popular uprising against Israeli occupying forces.