Americans die in Gaza blast

AMERICAN citizens were advised to leave the Gaza Strip yesterday after a remote-controlled bomb ripped apart an armoured van, killing three US security guards.

The three Americans, security guards for diplomats, were killed in the attack near the Palestinian town of Beit Lahiya in the northern Gaza Strip. Several hours after the bombing, US investigators were attacked by Palestinian stone throwers and fled as their cars were pelted by rocks.

A statement posted on the US embassy's website after the attack said: "The United States government recommends that all US citizens depart the area as soon as possible, while avoiding the area of the attack."