Israeli troops kill 12 Palestinians in central Gaza

Israeli troops today killed at least 12 Palestinians, including one policemen and two militants in four separate incidents in the central Gaza Strip, Palestinian medical officials said.

In the first attack, an Israeli tank fired on a car travelling in the central Gaza town of Deir al-Balah, killing two passengers and wounding a third.

Islamic Jihad identified the two men as militants from the group.

Several hours later, Israeli ground troops opened fire on a group of Palestinians gathered near a flour mill, killing four and wounding several others.

The army said troops opened fire on Palestinian gunmen planting explosives on a road used by the army to enter the central Gaza Strip.

Palestinian medical officials did not release the identities of the four dead Palestinians. They said their bodies were riddled with shrapnel and they appeared to have been killed in an explosion.

In a third incident, Palestinian security officials said an Israeli aircraft fired a missile into a police station in the central Gaza town of Khan Younis, killing one policemen and wounding two others.

The army said it had attacked gunmen on the ground.

This evening, an Israeli airstrike killed five Palestinians, medical officials said.

The army said it had targeted a group of gunmen.

Israeli troops launched a major offensive into Gaza on June 28, three days after Hamas-linked militants captured an Israeli soldier in a cross-border raid.

So far, more than 60 Palestinians and one Israeli soldier have been killed.