Israel bombs Gaza home of Hamas member, none hurt

GAZA, July 30 (Reuters) An Israeli aircraft fired a missile into the house of a member of Islamic militant group Hamas in Gaza City early today, but there were no casualties, Palestinian witnesses said.

An Israeli army spokeswoman confirmed an air strike had targeted a structure used by Hamas, without elaborating.

Witnesses said the Hamas member had received a warning call from the Israeli military shortly before the attack and evacuated his family and alerted his neighbours. The house was destroyed but nobody was hurt.

At least 150 Palestinians, around half of them gunmen, have been killed in Israel's month-long assault on Gaza to recover a captured soldier and end cross-border rocket attacks.

Yesterday, Israel bombed a suspected weapons factory in Gaza City used by Hamas, which controls the Palestinian government and whose charter seeks Israel's destruction.

Israel has rejected demands for a prisoner exchange by the gunmen who captured Corporal Gilad Shalit by tunnelling under the border on June 25. Some of the gunmen came from Hamas.

Israeli tanks and armoured vehicles entered the Erez industrial zone in north Gaza yesterday near the town of Beit Lahiya looking for tunnels and explosives.

Palestinian security sources said the Erez incursion could be a prelude to a raid on Beit Lahiya.

Two people were injured by shells the tanks fired which landed near residential areas, witnesses said.

REUTERS SRS BST0545