Israeli air raid in Gaza Strip kills one, wounds three: officials

JERUSALEM: An Israeli air raid on Wednesday in the northern Gaza Strip targeting alleged militants killed one Palestinian and wounded three others, the Israeli army and a Palestinian official said.

Israeli aircraft "targeted a terror cell plotting to detonate an explosive device against (military) forces stationed along the border of the northern Gaza Strip," the Israeli army said.



A Gaza health ministry spokesperson said one person was killed and three wounded on a beach in the area of Beit Lahiya, located near the Palestinian enclave's northern border with Israel.

The spokesperson identified the person killed as Musa Abu Zuaiter, 31.

The air raid would mark a departure from recent Israeli strikes in the Gaza Strip, which have usually followed rocket fire from Palestinian militants and have rarely led to casualties.

There was no reported rocket fire from Gaza before Wednesday's strike, but there have been a number of recent incidents along the Gaza border, including explosions and gunfire targeting Israeli soldiers.

Unrest spreads to Gaza as Israeli troops kill 6 Palestinians

"Forces guarding the border with Gaza face a growing threat from hostile terror groups attempting to destabilise the situation on the ground," Israeli military spokesperson Peter Lerner said in a statement following Wednesday's raid.

Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza have fought three wars since 2008, including a devastating 50-day conflict in 2014.