Israel kills five Hamas gunmen in Gaza

GAZA (Reuters) - Israeli troops backed by tanks and warplanes launched a raid into the northern Gaza Strip on Thursday, killing five Hamas gunmen and a schoolteacher, the ruling Palestinian Islamist faction and hospital officials said.

Hamas said five of its gunmen died fighting the Israeli troops. Hospital officials said an Israeli missile hit a school in Beit Hanoun, killing a teacher and wounding two colleagues.

Hamas said it was responsible for a Palestinian suicide bombing that killed a woman in Israel on Monday, the first such claim from the group since 2004.

Five rockets were launched on Thursday, the Israeli army said, but there was no immediate word of casualties or damage.

(Reporting by Nidal al-Mughrabi; Writing by Avida Landau, Editing by Ralph Gowling)