Israelis kill five militants in Gaza Strip

Israeli soldiers killed five Palestinian militants during a fierce gun battle in the northern Gaza Strip today, Palestinian security and medical officials said, as an operation to destroy Palestinian rocket launchers entered its 10th day.

The officials said the gunmen were killed in the town of Beit Hanoun. Witnesses said two of the dead were affiliated with the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades, a militant organisation linked to Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat’s Fatah movement, and one with the militant Hamas.