Four reported killed in double airstrike east of Gaza City

May 18, 2007, 5:15 GMT

Gaza City - After days of intense rocket fire at its southern territory, Israel pushed ahead with an aerial campaign Friday in the Gaza Strip.

Israeli aircraft launched a double airstrike at a Hamas building before dawn near the Karni commercial crossing with Israel, east of Gaza City, a military spokeswoman confirmed.

Four Palestinians were reportedly killed and at least six injured when missiles hit the building in the two strikes a half-hour apart, the spokeswoman said.

The deaths brought to 11 the number of Palestinians killed in six airstrikes since early Thursday afternoon, including attacks on a Hamas security compound in the heart of Gaza City and on several vehicles.

US President George W Bush, at a joint news conference with British Prime Minister Tony Blair in Washington, expressed concern about the escalation of violence in Gaza, which came after a six-month ceasefire, and called on both sides to exercise restraint.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice telephoned both Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to express US concerns Thursday.

Three Palestinian children were among the dead Thursday when a missile struck their father's car in the southern Gaza town of Rafah. The father was outside the vehicle and escaped unharmed. The Israeli military said the attack was aimed at Palestinian militants firing rockets into Israel.

Palestinian militants, meanwhile, launched at least four more Gaza-made Qassam rockets at Israel overnight, one of which hit a synagogue in Sderot, located some kilometres north-east of the Strip, after midnight, shortly after a visit to the battered Israeli town by Olmert.

Since Monday night, they have launched close to 90 rockets at southern Israel, about a third of which have hit Sderot, where Israelis have been running to shelters, while several hundred have temporarily evacuated the town.

Hamas' military wing has claimed responsibility for firing most of the rockets, and Israel has made it the main target of its air attacks.

Hamas, in turn, has threatened to renew suicide bombings in Israel for the first time in more than two years.

Israel has accused the ruling, radical Islamic movement of trying to drag it into the internal fighting in Gaza to divert attention from its clashes with the rival Fatah movement and funnel the anger of militant factions in Gaza against Israel, rather than each other.

At least five Palestinians were also killed in ongoing internal clashes Thursday despite a truce that took effect at 8 pm (1700 GMT) the previous night. At least 52 Palestinians have been killed since Sunday in clashes between the rival groups, paralyzing Gaza City and shaking the foundations of the 2-month-old unity government formed to end such violence.

Israeli tanks have taken position at two points several hundred metres inside the northern Gaza Strip, but a military spokeswoman said there were a small number positioned close to the border fence that were not there for 'attack purposes.'