A member of the ruling Palestinian party Hamas was killed overnight in an attack by Israeli helicopters in eastern Gaza City. A hospital official said Waleed Al-Harazin, 25, a member of the movement's armed wing, was killed by an explosion from an Israeli missile.Earlier two Palestinian journalists were seriously wounded by a missile fired by an Israeli helicopter in eastern Gaza City. Fadel Shanaa, a Reuters TV cameraman, and a journalist from the Palestinian Media Group were wounded when the missile struck their armoured jeep. The hospital official said that a woman and a child were also injured in the attack.
Israeli attack helicopters sprayed buildings in eastern Gaza City with machine gun fire. Israeli armoured vehicles also entered the Gaza Strip to the east of Gaza City, Palestinian security services said. An Israeli military spokeswoman confirmed that a military operation was underway at the Karni crossing.