More deaths in Gaza

Israeli forces have been busy today (Sabat) killing people in Gaza.

The victims included a mother and her two children. Houda al-Nouri, 45, her son Omar, 17, and her daughter Kiffah, 15, died when their home was hit by a shell from the tank, hospital report from Rafah.

Israeli aircraft targeted a civilian car with four passengers - a mother, her two children and the driver. The family was apparently fleeing their house in eastern Rafah in fear of more airstrikes and tank artillery shelling their neighbourhood of al-Shawka.

The two children were killed, while the mother and the taxi driver were critically wounded, eyewitnesses said. They were taken to Rafah town hospital.

At least 166 Palestinians and one Israeli soldier have died in the Israeli operations launched in Gaza on June 28,

The Israel Defence Force launched a large-scale ground operation on Thursday. The deaths brought to 15 the number of Palestinians killed since then, including four children and 11 militants

Mohammed Nassal of Hamas' polit-bureau said that Israel had authorized its generals to release a large number of prisoners, in an interview with Arab television channel al-Jazeera. There has been no statement from the Israeli Government.