5 Killed In Israeli Strike In Gaza Strip

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A spokeswoman for the Israeli military said only that the army had "targeted a senior Hamas terrorist". It is unclear if Jabari was injured in the explosion, which started a fire.

Palestinian hospital sources said at least some of the dead from the blast in the city's Shajaiyeh district were Hamas members. Unconfirmed reports said relatives of Jabari were among the casualties.

Israel has attacked a number of prominent Hamas figures with air strikes this year, killing spiritual leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin in March and his successor, Abdel Aziz al-Rantissi, a month later.

According to conflicting reports, Jabari was either wounded in the leg or escaped unharmed. Some witnesses said they had not seen or heard a missile hitting the house although they did say an Israeli drone had been hovering overhead at the time.

Other Palestinians said that either the drone or a helicopter gunship had fired a single rocket at the house while there was also speculation that the drone had detonated a bomb on the ground. The Shajaiyeh district is believed to be a stronghold of Islamist militants.