Five more ‘Israeli' troops are killed in an ambush by Palestinian fighters after ‘Israel' launched a ground incursion into the Gaza strip.

Palestinian resistance fighters killed the troops in Sunday clashes with ‘Israeli' military forces which invaded the impoverished coastal region last night after pounding it fro eight consecutive days, IRIB reported.

The latest deaths took the number of ‘Israeli' soldiers killed and wounded after the ground invasion to 39.

Meanwhile, Hamas forces have surrounded two ‘Israeli' special forces units in the strip.

'Israeli' tanks retreated from Zeitoun district of Gaza as heavy fighting continues around Beit Lahia, Beit Hanoun and Jabalia of the Gaza strip, Press TV's correspondent reported.

During the Sunday clashes four Palestinians were also killed and nine others wounded in the northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Lahia and two more were killed in Khan Younis in the southern part of the Gaza Strip.

In fresh air strikes on Sunday, ‘Israeli' warplanes bombed al-Imam mosque in southern the Gaza strip. There has been no immediate report about the casualties of the blitz