Botched Israeli air strike kills 2 in Gaza

GAZA, June 22: Two Palestinians were killed and 13 others wounded today in the latest of a series of botched Israeli missile strikes against Gaza militants.

Israel, which has faced international criticism over the attacks, said it would continue air strikes to try to stop Palestinian factions from firing rockets into the Jewish state.

The latest strike, which killed a man and a woman, brought to 14 the number of civilians killed in recent air attacks.

Palestinian bystanders said the target appeared to have been a car carrying members of the Islamic Jihad group in the militant stronghold of Khan Younis. But a missile slammed into a house. The gunmen escaped unharmed.

The woman died on the spot. A relative visiting from Saudi Arabia died of his wounds. Among another 12 wounded were a pregnant woman and four children, including two less than a year old. Medics said some were in critical condition.

A senior air force commander said investigators were trying to find out why the missiles missed their target, and said the possibility of a malfunction could not be discounted. But he emphasised that there would be no change in tactics.

''We will continue with this action as it is preferable by far to other methods,'' said the commander, who did not give his name. ''The munitions which we use and the mode of operation is the most accurate which can be used in an urban area, far more accurate than artillery or tanks.'' Hamas, the Islamist group which leads the Palestinian government, condemned the strike as a ''war crime'' and threatened retaliation -- without saying what form that might take.

''They (the Israelis) will pay a price if they continue,'' said Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri.

UN COMPLAINT Ibrahim Gambari, U N undersecretary-general for political affairs renewed a plea for an end to air strikes because of the danger of killing civilians. He also noted that 176 rockets had been fired from Gaza into Israel in the past month.

The army has said it regrets civilian casualties and does its utmost to prevent them.

But Israeli leaders are under growing political pressure to crack down on militants firing crude rockets from Gaza.

The continuing barrages from Gaza have also stirred questions in Israel over the wisdom of last year's withdrawal from the territory after 38 years of occupation. Palestinians want the strip as part of an eventual state.

Militants stepped up rocket launchings after a June 9 blast that killed seven Palestinians on a Gaza beach. The deaths, for which Israel said it was not responsible, prompted Hamas to call off a 16-month-old truce.

Reuters