'Israeli airstrike kills Gaza militant'

An Israeli airstrike on the Gaza Strip killed a Hamas militant and wounded another early today, after they fired mortar shells at Israeli tanks on an incursion near the southern town of Khan Younes, Palestinian medics and eyewitnesses told AFP.

An Israeli airstrike on the Gaza Strip killed a Hamas militant and wounded another early on Sunday, after they fired mortar shells at Israeli tanks on an incursion near the southern town of Khan Younes, Palestinian medics and eyewitnesses told AFP.

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An Israeli military spokeswoman confirmed that a strike had taken place but she did not immediately have further details. The exchange took place after a three-day lull between the sides brought some respite from a latest spike in cross-border fighting.

Palestinians named the dead man as Kamel Qarara, 25, a member of the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Gaza's ruling Islamist Hamas movement. The wounded man was not immediately named but said to also be a member of the Brigades.

Late on Wednesday, Israeli and Palestinian officials announced an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire after 24 hours of bloodshed, which saw Israeli air strikes kill four militants and armed groups firing more than 70 rockets and mortars across the border, seriously wounding two Thai workers.

Since then, as Palestinians celebrated the Eid el-Adha Muslim festival, the Israel military reported one rocket falling on open ground in southern Israel and causing no casualties.