IAF destroys home of Hamas operative

Earlier, 3 Palestinians were killed and five wounded in IDF raid.

By YAAKOV KATZ
Palestinian shoot 298.88 (photo credit: )
Palestinian shoot 298.88
(photo credit: )
An IAF air strike destroyed a home belonging to a Hamas operative in the northern Gaza Strip late Saturday night, wounding two bystanders, Palestinian officials and witnesses said. The officials said the occupants of the home were ordered to leave about an hour before the air strike. Two men who were walking in the area were wounded, one lightly and one moderately, medical officials said. The IDF said the air strike targeted a weapons-storage facility, and confirmed that residents of the building were warned ahead of the attack. Earlier Saturday, three Palestinians were killed and five others wounded during gun battles between IDF troops and gunmen in two separate incidents in the Gaza Strip. According to Palestinian hospital officials, a father and his son were killed during an IDF raid in Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip. Elite IDF troops in conjunction with the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) apprehended two members of Hamas' armed wing - Muhammed Tarbin and Yunis Abu-Setra - during the raid allegedly behind numerous terror attacks against Israeli civilians including the firing of Kassam rockets. The army said it also shot one man near the Kissufim Crossing in central Gaza after he approached the security fence along the border in a suspicious manner. During the raid in Beit Hanoun, IDF troops, backed by tanks and helicopters, surrounded a house where Abu-Setra and Tarbin were hiding. Two Palestinians identified as a 55-year-old man and his 23-year-old son were killed during clashes that ensued. The IDF said both men were Hamas operatives. Two women from the same family were wounded during the fighting. An Israeli ordnance also hit a nearby house, injuring five people, Palestinian officials said. The army has been carrying out a broad offensive in Gaza since Hamas-linked terrorists infiltrated Israel and kidnapped Cpl. Gilad Shalit on June 25. AP contributed to the report.