Israel In Counterstrike After Militants Kill Eight

A TV grab shows a damaged Israeli passenger bus after it was attacked near the Egyptian border on August 18.

The Israeli military has carried out air strikes on targets in the Gaza Strip following a series of attacks by gunmen in southern Israel that killed eight people and left more than 25 injured.

The militant attacks on August 18 near the Red Sea resort city of Eilat have been condemned by the United States, the European Union, and the leadership of the United Nations.

Israel said it believed the attackers had infiltrated Israel from the Hamas-run Gaza Strip via Egypt's Sinai desert.

The Israeli military said seven of the gunmen were later killed in southern Israel, including two who blew themselves up. The military said Egyptian soldiers apparently shot dead two gunmen.

A series of Israeli air strikes were reported in Gaza, including a raid that killed five members of the militant group blamed for the attack, the Popular Resistance Committees, a faction in Gaza loyal to Hamas.

Hamas has denied any involvement in the attacks.

Egyptian officials are quoted as saying three Egyptian security personnel were killed as an Israeli plane opened fire in pursuit of militants along the Egypt-Israel border.

compiled from agency reports