5 Palestinians killed in renewed Israeli strikes

Gaza, July 27 (IANS) At least five Palestinians were killed as Israel renewed its air strikes across the Gaza Strip Sunday following an unabated rocket firing by Hamas militants, medics and witnesses said.

Two Palestinians were killed in a noon air strike on central Gaza Strip refugee camp of Nuseirat, Xinhua reported citing Ashraf al-Qedra, spokesman of the Gaza health ministry, as saying.

Al-Qedra said three others were killed in two air strikes on the southern Gaza Strip town of Khan Younis, including a young man who was killed while driving a motorbike.

Some five people were injured in the incident.

A 15th floor of a building in central Gaza city, that housed the Hamas TV station al-Aqsa TV, was one of the targets of the Israeli jets Sunday, according to witnesses.

The ongoing fighting between the Hamas movement and the Israeli army in Gaza, which started in July 8, has claimed the lives of more than 1,000 Palestinians.

On the Israeli side, 46 people were killed, 43 of them were soldiers.

Earlier Sunday, the Israeli military said it has resumed its offensive on the Gaza Strip, cutting short a temporary ceasefire after Hamas militants rejected the truce and continued to fire rockets at Israel.

"Following Hamas' constant rocket firing, the Israel Defence Forces will now resume their aerial, naval and ground activity in the Gaza Strip," an official said.

Israel's security cabinet approved a 24-hour extension Saturday night to a UN-brokered 12-hour humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza.

But Islamic Hamas movement Sunday said any truce that does not guarantee a complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip will not be accepted.