Israel raid kills Gaza militants

Three Palestinian militants have been killed in an Israeli air strike on the Gaza Strip, officials say.

A military spokesman said the men were members of the militant group Islamic Jihad and were behind recent rocket attacks in the border town of Sderot.

The spokesman said they were killed as they prepared to launch further rockets into Israel from their vehicle.

Islamic Jihad say the men belonged to their group but were not on a rocket launching mission.

Israel carried out an offensive in December and January in the Gaza Strip which aimed to stop daily rocket attacks by militants on southern towns.

Palestinians and human rights groups say more than 1,400 Gazans were killed, but Israel puts the figure at 1,166.

Three Israeli civilians and 10 Israeli soldiers were also killed.

Since the end of the campaign, Gaza militants have fired about 300 mortars into Israel, the Israeli military said.