Militant killed in Israeli airstrike

One of the most wanted Palestinian militants was killed today when an Israeli aircraft attacked a car travelling in the northern Gaza Strip.

The Popular Resistance Committees (PRC) said Abu Said Qarmout, its leader in northern Gaza, was killed in the airstrike.

The PRC has fired hundreds of rockets into southern Israel, frequently sparking Israeli airstrikes and military reprisals.

The group, which has close ties to the ruling Islamic militant group Hamas, said Qarmout had previously escaped four Israeli attempts to kill him.

The Israeli army confirmed it had attacked a “PRC activist”.

Dr Moaiya Hassanain, a health ministry official in Gaza, said two other people were wounded in the airstrike in Beit Lahiye.