Two Palestinians killed in Gaza-witnesses

GAZA, Sep 6 (Reuters) At least two Palestinians, one of them a suspected militant, were killed in southern Gaza today as Israel pursued its 10-week offensive against armed groups in the coastal strip.

One was killed in an Israeli air strike near the town of Khan Younis, while the second was killed in a separate incident nearby, witnesses said.

The witnesses said both were civilians, but the Israeli army denied that, saying that the first was with another armed man close to the border with Israel when he was targeted and the second was shot on suspicion of planting explosives.

The deaths came hours after four militants, believed to be members of Hamas, were killed in two Israeli air strikes in the town of Rafah, also in the southern Gaza strip, overnight.

A further 20 people were wounded in those strikes.

Israel has been pressing an offensive in the Gaza Strip since the abduction of a soldier, Gilad Shalit, on June 25 by a group of militants, including members of Hamas.

Hamas, an Islamic militant group, now heads the Palestinian government after winning elections early this year.

Israel says its offensive is also designed to put a stop to the firing of makeshift rockets by militant groups into towns near the border with Gaza.

During the offensive, at least 208 Palestinians have been killed, about half of them civilians.

Israel pulled its troops and more than 8,000 settlers out of Gaza in August last year after 38 years of occupation in a move that many hoped at the time would lead to a breakthrough for relations between Israel and the Palestinians.

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