Three Palestinians killed in an Israeli air strike on a car in Gaza

Thursday December 13, 2007 22:48 by Rami Almeghari - IMEMC

Three Palestinians have been killed on Thursday evening during a new fresh Israeli air strike on a car in southern Gaza city.

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Medical sources said corpses of three Palestinians were taken out dismembered from the hit car, as pillars of smoke were visible in the area of the attack.

Israeli air strikes on Gaza have been widespread since Israel declared Gaza a ' hostile entity, with more Israeli measures on the ground being taken.

Today's killed were initially identified as members of the Islamic Jihad, yet they were later turned to be of the aL-Aqsa Martyrs brigades, the militant offshoot of Fatah of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Israeli media reports said that one woman sustained minor injuries today after a barrage of homemade shells was fired onto the nearby Israeli town of Sderot.

On Tuesday, the Israeli army carried out a large incursion into southern Gaza, killing six resistance fighters and wounded 19 others.

The International Committee of the Red Cross issued a statement today, calling on Israel to halt punitive action against the Gaza Strip while also demanding an end to rocket fire from the Palestinian side.

A new report issued by the Red Cross notes that Gaza's civilian population is essentially trapped between the Israeli military and armed wings of various Palestinian factions.

Meanwhile, Palestinian and Israeli negotiators met in west Jerusalem on Wednesday, within their first round of talks, in pursue of last month's Washington-sponsored peace summit.

In September, Israel declared Gaza a 'hostile entity' and in October, it imposed a series of apparently punitive measures, which Israel says meant to stop homemade shells fire.

United Nations Secretary General, Ban-Ki Moon, had urged Israel to reconsider its actions against the 1.4-million-strong population of Gaza, while human rights groups worldwide branded them a ' collective punishment'.

gaza strip | israeli attacks | news report rami at imemc dot org