Middle East

Three dead after Israeli air strike

Article published on the 2009-08-25 Latest update 2009-08-25 10:28 TU

Members of Hamas's security forces guard a tunnel bombed by Israeli aircraft in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, on 25 August, 2009.
(Photo: Reuters/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa)

Three Palestinian brothers were killed and nine other people were wounded on Tuesday, according to medics, when an Israeli air strike targeted smuggling tunnels between the Gaza Strip and Egypt.

Rescue services were trying to find another man who was reported missing following the first Israeli attack on the tunnels in more than two weeks.

Mansur, Wael and Ibrahim al-Batniji were working overnight inside the tunnels near the border town of Rafah when the missiles struck. The underground passages between Gaza and Egypt are used to bring food, fuel and weapons into the area.

The Israeli military said it was responding to mortar fire from the Gaza Strip that wounded one soldier in southern Israel on Monday.

Earlier on Monday, one Palestinian was killed and another was injured by Israeli fire, according to medics in Gaza. They were fired upon after approaching the border with Israel on the northern edge of the Gaza strip.

The border between Hamas-ruled Gaza and Israel has been relatively quiet since the 18 January ceasefire that brought an end to Israel’s 22-day war on the Palestinian territory.