An Israel Air Force strike killed five Palestinian insurgents in the Gaza Strip. The Israel Defence Forces said in a statement that its aircraft targeted and identified hitting a squad of terror operatives who were preparing to launch rockets toward Israeli territory. Palestinian Militant groups identified the five dead as members of the Islamic Jihad and Popular Resistance Committees. Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, says it has tried to curb rocket fire at Israel, but smaller groups continue to carry out such attacks.