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Israelis kill 2 Gaza gunmen, wound 7 Palestinians

Posted on: Sunday, 27 August 2006, 01:36 CDT

By Nidal al-Mughrabi

GAZA (Reuters) - Israeli forces killed two gunmen overnight in Gaza and wounded seven Palestinians, including two journalists in an air strike on a Reuters vehicle that the army said it failed to identify, residents said on Sunday.

The army said its incursion into the Shijaiya neighborhood, a militant stronghold, was aimed at seeking out tunnels and explosives that could be used in attacks.

Two gunmen from the governing Hamas Islamist group were killed during the incursion, which began on Saturday. The army said that both were targeted in air strikes, one because he was carrying an anti-tank rocket.

Among seven Palestinians wounded were two journalists caught in the missile strike on the Reuters vehicle.

Fadel Shana, a Reuters cameraman, regained consciousness in hospital. He was also hit in the hand by shrapnel. Sabbah Hmaida, who works for a local news Web site, was wounded in the legs.

The Israeli army said the vehicle was hit because it was acting suspiciously in an area of combat and had not been identified as belonging to the media.

"During the operation, there was an aerial attack on a suspicious vehicle that drove in a suspicious manner right by the forces," army spokeswoman Captain Noa Meir said.

"This car was not identified by the army as a press vehicle," she said. "If journalists were hurt, we regret it."

The missile struck the vehicle after dark. The armored car was clearly labeled as a media vehicle, with signs on all sides, including the roof.

Michael Lawrence, Reuters Managing Editor for Europe, Middle East and Africa, said: "We are deeply concerned at this attack on a clearly marked press vehicle as journalists were doing their job to report the story from Gaza.

"We understand that the army says it had no intention of targeting the media, but this incident is totally unacceptable and we urge a careful examination of how this happened to ensure there is no repeat."

More than 180 Palestinians, about half of them militants, have been killed since Israel launched an offensive in June aimed at recovering a captured soldier and ending cross-border rocket fire.

Israel withdrew troops and settlers from the Gaza Strip in September 2005 after 38 years of occupation.

Source: REUTERS

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