An Israeli drone aircraft fired a missile into a car carrying two Hamas militants in Gaza today but both escaped without serious injury, witnesses said.
A number of passers-by suffered minor wounds, they said, in the incident in Khan Younis refugee camp, a bastion of militants who often fire mortar bombs and rockets at nearby Jewish settlements in the occupied territory.
Palestinian militant sources alledged the Hamas men were apparently en route to staging an attack on part of the fortified Gush Katif settlement bloc nearby when they were spotted by a patrolling drone and targeted.
In a statement, the Israeli army said aircraft had fired on gunmen blamed for mortar attacks from Khan Younis, including 40 in the past week.
Hours later, an Israeli tank shell wounded nine Palestinians in the center of Khan Younis after militants launched rockets at the Jewish settlement of Neve Dekalim, witnesses said.
An Israeli military source said Israeli forces had shot at the source of the fire in the refugee camp.
Israeli tanks and troops have raided Khan Younis repeatedly to kill or capture militants behind constant rocket and mortar salvoes against settlements.
But the attacks by the elusive, mobile mortar squads have persisted, although they only rarely cause casualties.