An Israeli F-16 jet has destroyed the Palestinian Foreign Ministry in Gaza City. The second attack on the building in a week flattened what was left of the eight-storey structure. Israel says it was targeted because it is run by a senior figure within the Hamas government, Foreign Minister Mahmoud Zahar. Israel has been pursuing a military campaign in Gaza for three weeks following the capture of one of its soldiers, Corporal Gilad Shalit.

At least nine Palestinians were injured in the attack, which ripped through nearby homes, shops and offices. Most of the wounded were children. At least 85 Palestinians have been killed in the Israeli offensive, around half of them civilians. Meanwhile, in the occupied West Bank, Palestinian gunmen ambushed Israeli troops on patrol in Nablus, apparently causing casualties. Claiming responsibility, the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades said it was in response to Israeli killings in Gaza and Lebanon.

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