Five Palestinians killed in Gaza clash, report

Israeli troops clashed with Palestinian gunmen and stone-throwing youths in the southern Gaza Strip today, killing five Palestinians and wounding more than 30, a hospital said.

The clash erupted when Israeli troops began putting up a new lookout tower in the Gaza town of Rafah, on the border with Egypt.

Palestinian youths threw stones and bottles, and militants fired on the troops, Palestinian witnesses said.

The Israeli troops responded with tank and machine-gun fire, the witnesses added. The Israeli military said it was checking the reports.

Dr Ali Musa, the director of Rafah Hospital, said five Palestinians were killed and 35 wounded in the clash.

The dead included two women, and many of those killed or injured were in their homes and were hit by tank fire, Palestinians at the hospital said.

Israeli troops and Palestinians clash frequently in Rafah, a stronghold for militants. Palestinians also smuggle weapons into Rafah from tunnels that go under the border into Egypt, the Israeli military says.