Special report: Israel launches Gaza assault

    GAZA, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- Five Palestinians were killed and three were injured on Wednesday morning in three separate Israeli army airstrikes carried out by reconnaissance drones on eastern Gaza City, medics and eyewitnesses reported.

    The witnesses said that Israeli drones fired three air-to-ground missiles at groups of people, including militants gathering into Sheja'eya neighborhood in eastern Gaza City, killing five militants and wounding three civilians.

    They said that following the first strike, in which three were killed, militants gathered again in the area and clashes with Israeli soldiers, and the drone fired another missile which killed a forth Palestinian.

    Then the drone came back again and fired a third missile at the militants who were opening fire at Israeli soldiers while seizing the roofs of buildings in the neighborhood, killing the fifth Palestinian.

    Palestinian doctors at Shiffa Hospital in Gaza City confirmed that the hospital firstly received three dead bodies and three wounded people by the first airstrike, and two other bodies were received later separately after the second and the third airstrikes.

    The Israeli army has been carrying a ground operation into the neighborhood in eastern Gaza City, which is not far from Karni commercial crossing point, which was also closed down before Palestinian commerce.

    On Sunday predawn, ten Israeli army tanks and bulldozers rolled into the area, seized several buildings and razed lands of farmers in the area, claiming that their operation aimed at preventing firing homemade rockets at Israel.

    Palestinian medics said that the death of the five Palestinians on Wednesday had raised the number of Palestinians killed to 16 Palestinians since the beginning of the latest Israeli operation on Sunday. Enditem