Israeli army aircraft resumed its airstrikes on the Gaza Strip on Friday night in the third consecutive day, hitting by rockets the homes of Palestinian militants, said local security sources and eyewitnesses.

They said that several Israeli Apache attack helicopters hovered over Gaza City and fired several rockets at several targets in the city, but no injuries had been reported.

According to the sources, first airstrike targeted the home of a militant of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) in western Gaza City and totally destroyed the house.

The second strike, which came shortly after the first one, targeted a social institution belonging to the Hamas in eastern Gaza City. The building was badly damaged, but no injuries had been reported.

In both cases, the Israeli army had telephoned the two constructions owners, and warned them they should evacuate the buildings because the Israeli air forces would hit them by rockets.

On Thursday and Wednesday, the Israeli air forces destroyed eight militants' homes in the Gaza Strip, after militants escalated their homemade rockets' attacks on southern Israel.

(Xinhua News Agency November 18, 2006)