Israeli strikes kill Gaza militants; journalist's death draws protest

JERUSALEM (CNN) -- Israel carried out a series of airstrikes against armed Palestinians in northern Gaza late Saturday and early Sunday, according to an Israel Defense Forces spokeswoman. Hamas sources said five of its fighters were killed in the raids.

One strike hit a group of Hamas militants outside Gaza City, killing one and injuring three others, Hamas security sources said. Four Hamas militants were killed and two others were injured late Saturday in a strike near Jabaliya in northern Gaza, the sources said.

The strikes come a day after Palestinian militants detonated two car bombs at an Israel-Gaza border crossing in what the Israeli military said was an attack timed to coincide with Passover. The week-long Jewish holiday began at sundown Saturday.

Under dense fog, the attackers approached the Kerem Shalom border crossing early Saturday in two explosives-laden vehicles disguised as Israeli military vehicles, according to the Israeli military. The two car bombs killed the four attackers and seriously wounded an Israeli soldier. Twelve other soldiers suffered moderate or minor injuries, the military said.

According to the Israeli military, an "alert" Israeli force detonated a fourth booby-trapped vehicle before it could detonate Sunday near the security fence surrounding Kibbutz Nirim.

"The terrorists planned to execute a wider attack, possibly kidnapping [Israeli] soldiers," according to the Israel Defense Forces. "This is the fifth attack in 10 days upon a central life-line crossing such as Kerem Shalom and Nahal Oz fuel terminal."

Israel sends nearly 200 humanitarian aid trucks into Gaza every week through the Kerem Shalom border crossing, which separates southern Gaza and Israel. Last week, Israeli troops stopped an infiltration attempt by a group of Palestinian militants at Kerem Shalom, killing one and wounding another, according to Palestinian security sources.

On April 9, Palestinian militants infiltrated Israel through the Nahal Oz border crossing and fired on the fuel terminal there, killing two Israeli civilian workers. In response, Israel halted already reduced fuel shipments to Gaza.

While other militant groups claimed responsibility for the Nahal Oz attack, Israel has put the blame for all the attacks on Gaza's Hamas leadership

"Hamas is exploiting the compassion and generosity of the state of Israel by targeting humanitarian crossings," said Israeli Maj. Gen. Yoav Galant. "This is a deliberate attack against aiding the Palestinian population."

On Wednesday, the attacks in Gaza took the life of the first journalist killed by Israeli forces in Gaza in nearly five years, according to Reporters Without Borders.

Palestinians quietly walked the streets of Ramallah on Sunday, carrying stretchers with a TV camera and tripod to protest the death of the journalist, who was killed by an Israeli tank shell last week in Gaza.

Reuters cameraman Fadel Shana, 23, was one of at least 20 Palestinians -- both civilians and militants -- killed Wednesday as a result of Israeli military operations targeting Palestinian militants in Gaza. Three Israeli soldiers were also killed.

Shana's funeral was held in Gaza City the next day.

Several human rights and journalist advocacy groups, as well as the Reuters news agency, have called on Israel to investigate the circumstances of Shana's death.

Neither the Israeli army nor the government had an official response to the calls for an investigation. E-mail to a friend

Journalist Talal Abu-Rahmi in Gaza City contributed to this report.

All About Gaza Strip • Hamas