JERUSALEM, July 11 (UPI) -- The Israeli air force Tuesday attacked and destroyed two suspected rocket-launching cells in the Gaza Strip, killing one person and injuring five others.
Military officials said two men were wounded when a helicopter fired as they were allegedly assembling a launch device for a Qassam rocket in Beit Hanoun in northern Gaza, the Jerusalem Post reported.
Nearby and not long after, helicopters targeted a car the military said was carrying a number of rockets, and one man was killed and three others injured, the Arutz Sheva newspaper said.
Monday, similar Israeli strikes killed five men in a field, where the Palestinian Authority said they were playing soccer. Israeli forces said the men were assembling a rocket launcher.
The Israeli re-occupation of parts of the Gaza Strip was in response to the June 25 kidnapping of Cpl. Gilad Shalit as Palestinians ambushed a tank convoy. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has refused to negotiate with Hamas or free Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the 19-year-old.
