Gaza gunmen hit Israeli helicopter

Palestinian freedom fighters hit an Israeli chopper gunship in the northern part of the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip on Friday.

The zionist thugs declined to comment on operational details but Channel One television said the chopper suffered some damage and was forced to return to base. There were no casualties among the crew of two, the report added.

"This afternoon our anti-aircraft crew opened fire at an Israeli aircraft over north Gaza, we know that it was hit," said Abu Ubaida, spokesman for the Izz el-Deen al-Qassam brigades, Hamas's military wing.

Abu Ubaida said Hamas would continue to try to target Israeli aircraft with ever-improving munitions at their disposal.

"This is a message from the Qassam Brigades that we are doing our utmost to confront Zionist planes ... and we will continue to try to hit them with more accurate weapons," he told Reuters.

Israel frequently uses its USSA supplied superior military power, including fighter jets, helicopter gunships and unmanned aerial vehicles to target freedom fighters .

The television report said it was the first known case in which Gaza militants had managed to hit an Israeli aircraft.

Israel has alleged that during a breach of the Gaza border with Egypt in January militants smuggled through more advanced weapons than had been available to them previously. It is not known what type of munitions hit the helicopter.

Hamas also captured more sophisticated weapons in the June takeover when it raided Abbas's headquarters in Gaza.

Hamas blew open Gaza's southern border wall with Egypt to break what they termed an Israeli siege on the territory, home to 1.5 million Palestinians.