By Prensa Latina
Tel Aviv : Israeli assault troops backed up by tanks and military planes raided northern Gaza Thursday, killing six Palestinians, according to witnesses.
Tanks and bulldozers of the Israeli army crossed the border near Jabalya city and Beit Hanoun refugee camp, killing five Hamas militants and a teacher, Palestinian sources reported.
The militants died trying to stop the Israeli security forces and the teacher perished when a missile hit a school in Beit Hanoun, wounding another two professors.
European Union special envoy for the Middle East Marc Otte said the Israeli policy against the Gaza Strip has failed, and will only turn Palestine in another Somalia if it continues.
The blockade and sanctions against the Gaza population have only served to consolidate the Islamic Resistance Movement, and weaken the government of the Palestinian National Authority, the official said in an interview published by Haaretz daily.
The coercive measures have strained relations between Israel and Egypt rather than damaging Hamas, causing unwanted tension, Otte added.