Israeli missile kills one in Gaza - Palestinians

GAZA, May 19 (Reuters) At least one Palestinian was killed and two others wounded by an Israeli missile fired into the Jabalya refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip today, local residents said.

An Israeli army spokesman said a missile had been launched at a group of militants who fired a rocket into Israel from a cemetery in the area and that the missile had hit its target.

Residents said a 15-year-old youth who was close to the rocket launcher had been killed. They said he was not involved in the launch.

The youth was the fourth Palestinian to die in Israeli air strikes today. Earlier, three men were killed when they were hit by a missile aimed at militants launching rockets at Israel. Local residents said they were shepherds but Israel said they were militants.

The strikes came on a day when more than a dozen rockets were fired into Israel by Palestinian militants. Nobody was hurt in Israel by the missiles, although they caused some damage in towns bordering the Gaza Strip.

Gaza residents said that three bystanders were wounded in another missile strike in Gaza City when a missile struck a house.

Nobody was hurt in a third strike when two missiles were fired at a car east of Gaza City. The first missed the car carrying Hamas militants but a second missile hit the car after the men managed to escape.

An army spokeswoman confirmed the strike on the house in Gaza City but was checking the report on the strike on the car.

Reuters KK VP0350