GAZA, June 27 (Xinhuanet) -- The armed wings of Islamic resistance movement Hamas and Fatah on Sunday night claimed responsibility for blowing up an Israeli army outpost in the Gaza Strip.

    Ezzedine Al Qassam, the armed wing of Hamas, and Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, the armed wing of Fatah, told local radio stations that the attack was carried out to revenge the killing of eight Palestinian militants on Saturday in the West Bank city of Nablus.

    A leaflet would be issued soon and the details of the attack would be published in the leaflet, the two groups said.

    At least five Israeli soldiers were killed and eight others injured Sunday night as Palestinian militants blew up an
underground tunnel under an Israeli army outpost in the southern Gaza Strip, Palestinian witnesses reported.

    They said that the militants managed to dig the tunnel until it reached under the outpost south of the Gaza Strip city of Deir el Ballah, then the militants planted a large amount of explosives and blew it up.

    A huge explosion was heard in the area which is at a crossroad leading to the Jewish settlement of Gush Katif, south of Deir el Ballah, where roadblock splits Gaza Strip into two separate areas, the witnesses said.

    Israeli reports said there were many soldiers guarding the roadblock and the crossroad, adding that the explosion occurred as several soldiers were exchanging shifts. Enditem