Gaza - A Palestinian was killed and three other civilians were wounded on Wednesday night after an Israeli artillery shell hit Palestinian houses in northern Gaza, medics and eyewitnesses said.

The attack followed a series of homemade rocket attacks carried out by Gaza militants from northern Gaza on southern Israeli towns. Three Israelis were earlier injured, according to Israeli Radio.

The eyewitnesses said that an Israeli tank stationed near the border between Israel and Gaza fired a shell that landed near the Palestinian resident's houses in the northern Gaza town of Jabalia.

Paramedics in the area said they found a Palestinian civilian dead in his house right after the shell struck the area, adding that three other civilians in another neighboring house were wounded.

The chief of emergency and ambulance service in the Palestinian health ministry, Mo'aweya Hassanein, told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa that one civilian was killed and three others were wounded, two of them seriously.

The radical Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for firing 18 rockets from Gaza at southern Israel, adding in separate leaflets sent to reporters that the attacks are a response "to the Israeli crimes against the Palestinian people."

A six-month truce, brokered by Egypt between Gaza militant groups, led by Islamic Hamas movement and Israel, is due to expire on Friday.

Hamas and other militant groups said earlier that they won't extend the truce for another six months unless Israel keeps Gaza crossings opened and stops military operations into the poor enclave ruled by Hamas. (dpa)