Gaza hospital on strike after violence

Gaza City: Medics at a hospital in the northern Gaza Strip went on strike for a few hours on Saturday to protest the kidnapping and shooting of a doctor by Palestinian militants.

Dr Fayez Al Barrawi, a Hamas supporter, was blindfolded, handcuffed and shot six times in the legs and then tossed on the street on Thursday. It was the first time a doctor was seized following months of deadly infighting.

"We strongly condemn that medical officials should be the victims of security chaos," said Jamil Suleiman, director of the Beit Hanoun hospital where Al Barrawi works.

Meanwhile, in the southern Gaza Strip, fighting broke out between Israeli troops and Hamas militants.

"The military came under fire. They retaliated, hitting an armed man," an army spokesman said. Hamas confirmed the clash but did not mention casualties.

The raid follows an incursion early in the week when the Israeli army arrested four Palestinians in a one-day operation.

Israel resumed air strikes on militants in Gaza on May 16, following a six-month truce.