The Israeli army escalated on Thursday and Friday its military air and ground actions against the Gaza Strip, leaving nine Palestinians dead, including two children.

Palestinian security sources and eyewitnesses said that Israeli helicopters destroyed by two missiles a house, owned by the family of a female militant of the governing Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) in Gaza City.

The sources said the house belongs to Salleh Reyashi, the father of Reem Reyashi, the mother of two children that was killed in a suicide bombing attack two years ago into Erez Crossing on the borders between Gaza Strip and Israel.

Reyashi owns a factory that produces cars batteries. The factory and the house had been hit and destroyed one and a half year ago. Reyashi rebuilt the house, recently, but it was attacked again on Thursday night.

(Xinhua News Agency October 13, 2006)