Israeli soldiers killed three militants and wounded several other Palestinians Tuesday, after tanks pushed into the Gaza Strip overnight.

A 14-year-old boy suffered head wounds during an Israeli tank raid and several other civilians were hurt.

Palestinian medics said three members of the Islamic Jihad militant group were killed as they approached the border fence with Israel near the southern Gaza town of Khan Younis.

An army spokesman said the men were carrying large bags and were "acting in a suspicious manner."

The killings came after Israeli tanks moved into the eastern Gaza Strip overnight with troops seizing five Palestinian militants after clashing with fighters there, the army said.
 
Witnesses said the tanks, supported by unmanned drones hovering above, entered eastern Gaza near the Karni crossing, the main terminal for goods entering and leaving the densely populated strip.

At least three Palestinian fighters in eastern Gaza were wounded when they were hit by a missile fired by one of the drones.

An army spokesman said the raid in eastern Gaza targeted five wanted Palestinians, including two members of the Islamic militant group Hamas, which controls the Palestinian government.
 
"Forces surrounded a house in which the five wanted Palestinians were located," the spokesman said.

"Some exchanges of fire occurred during which one of the wanted men was injured. The five were arrested and taken for questioning."

The spokesman added that a search of the house found a store of weapons.

Israeli tanks and bulldozers also entered a village east of Khan Younis Tuesday morning. At least two Palestinian civilians were wounded in the clashes, including the 14-year-old, witnesses said.

Overnight, Israel carried out air strikes at houses in Jabalya, a district of Gaza City, in the northern part of the strip, and the southern Gaza town of Rafah.

Witnesses said the strikes were apparently aimed at the homes of members of Hamas and Islamic Jihad.

(China Daily August 23, 2006)