Summary The man was riding a motorcycle in Deir al-Balah when the missile hit at around 8 am.
GAZA CITY, Palestinian Territories (AFP) - A Palestinian militant was in critical condition after an Israeli air strike on central Gaza on Sunday that the army said targeted a "key" figure responsible for cross-border rocket fire.
The man was riding a motorcycle in Deir al-Balah when the missile hit at around 8 am (0600 GMT), said medical sources at the city's Al-Aqsa hospital.
He lost a leg in the strike and was listed as critical, they said, describing him as a militant but without giving his affiliation.
They said a second man, described as a civilian bystander, was also moderately injured in the attack.
The Israeli military confirmed the strike and said it targeted Abdallah Kherati, a militant with the Popular Resistance Committees and "affiliated with global jihad" who was involved in "numerous incidents of rocket fire towards Israel".
A senior source in the PRC confirmed the injured man was Kherati, and said he had worked within the movement until several months ago when he broke off to form a splinter group.
Tensions have risen in and around Gaza after a year of relative calm, with army figures showing 33 rockets have been fired at southern Israel since the start of the year.
Last week, Gaza's ruling Hamas movement redeployed a 600-strong special security force tasked with preventing cross-border rocket fire, after earlier reports it had been pulled back.
A spokesman said Hamas would "not allow the occupation (Israel) to break off the ceasefire" that ended an eight-day conflict in November 2012, and which was largely respected throughout 2013.
