Israeli strike kills 4 Hamas police: Medics

Gaza, Aug 28: An Israeli air strike killed four members of the Hamas-led security force during ongoing clashes in the northern Gaza Strip today, medics and witnesses said.

An Israeli army spokeswoman confirmed the report of the air strike but said two of the men were apparently killed by gunfire from ground troops.

The new reported deaths in Gaza City's Shijaia district, an Islamist militant stronghold that troops entered on Saturday, have raised the death toll there to eight following four others, including two militants, who died there yesterday.

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

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.

Reuters