Airstrikes and rockets kill Palestinians and Israelis as violence increa...

Ninth family member dies after Israeli strike: ministry

Gaza City (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) - A Palestinian wounded in an Israeli strike that killed eight members of his family has died, the health ministry in the Hamas-run strip said on Friday.
Mohammed Abu Malhous al-Sawarka, 40, succumbed after being wounded in "the massacre in which eight members of a family died when they were targeted in their homes," ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra said in a statement.
It said he was the brother of Rasmi Abu Malhous who was killed when his home was hit by an air strike on November 14.

Five children and Rasmi's two wives were also killed.
Israel has pledged to investigate the incident, saying that their intelligence reports had indicated "no civilians were expected to be harmed".
Israel described Rasmi as an Islamic Jihad commander, but Gaza residents have suggested it may have been a case of mistaken identity.
The three-day flareup began when Israel killed a senior Islamic Jihad official in Gaza on November 12.
The Islamist group, which is closely allied with Gaza's rulers Hamas, subsequently fired more than 450 rockets at Israel.
During the confrontation Israeli forces attacked dozens of targets in the enclave.

Palestinian officials said 35 Palestinians were killed and more than 100 wounded. There were no Israeli fatalities.