Post by Salem6 on Apr 11, 2008 20:06:07 GMT
Israel has sent tanks and bulldozers into the Gaza Strip after pledging to retaliate against a deadly militant attack on a fuel depot this week.
Medical sources in the Gaza Strip said four Palestinian teenagers were killed by Israeli fire during the operation.
Overnight, Israeli air strikes killed two militants near the city of Khan Younis in Gaza, the Hamas militant group said.
Two Israelis died in the attack on the Nahal Oz fuel depot on Wednesday.
'Sceptical'
The Israeli tanks and bulldozers entered the area near the Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza early in the morning, drawing heavy fire from local militants.
The BBC's Martin Asser in Jerusalem says it has been the fiercest day's fighting since battles in northern Gaza last month, when dozens of Palestinians were killed.
Palestinian militants fired mortars and anti-tank weapons at the Israelis.
Oleg Lipskin, an Israeli killed at the Nahal Oz depot, is buried
The dead Palestinian boys were aged between 14 and 17, witnesses said, and they were killed by air strikes and tank fire.
More than a dozen people were injured.
An Israeli army spokeswoman confirmed its forces had entered Hamas-run territory and came under attack.
In the early hours, Hamas said two members of its military wing were killed in air strikes in southern Gaza.
At least four other gunmen were wounded, Palestinian medical officials said.
Dozens of men later marched through the streets of the city, carrying the bodies of the dead and shouting anti-Israeli slogans.
Supplies cut
Israel blamed Hamas for the brazen daylight raid two days ago on the Nahal Oz terminal.
The latest Israeli action wounded a number of militants
The Israelis have shut down the terminal, which supplies fuel to the 1.5m residents of the Gaza Strip.
Officials said the interruption would last a few days. Israel faced strong international objections when it cut fuel supplies in January.
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Thursday vowed to strike at Hamas so that it "would be no longer able to act against Israeli citizens".
Addressing supporters of his Kadima party, he outlined a dual policy of hitting Hamas and "serious and responsible negotiations that can lead us to agreements" with Hamas's rival Fatah, led by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.
Hamas seized Gaza last June after routing Fatah. Mr Abbas now heads a Western-backed administration in the West Bank.
"I believe that these understandings will be reached this year, but I emphasise that I don't see any chance of implementing an agreement in the near future," Mr Olmert added.
Analysts said the statement, quoted on Kadima's website, appeared to be the most sceptical Mr Olmert has yet released about the Annapolis process, launched by the US to bring about the creation of a Palestinian state by the end of 2008.
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/7341961.stm
Medical sources in the Gaza Strip said four Palestinian teenagers were killed by Israeli fire during the operation.
Overnight, Israeli air strikes killed two militants near the city of Khan Younis in Gaza, the Hamas militant group said.
Two Israelis died in the attack on the Nahal Oz fuel depot on Wednesday.
'Sceptical'
The Israeli tanks and bulldozers entered the area near the Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza early in the morning, drawing heavy fire from local militants.
The BBC's Martin Asser in Jerusalem says it has been the fiercest day's fighting since battles in northern Gaza last month, when dozens of Palestinians were killed.
Palestinian militants fired mortars and anti-tank weapons at the Israelis.
Oleg Lipskin, an Israeli killed at the Nahal Oz depot, is buried
The dead Palestinian boys were aged between 14 and 17, witnesses said, and they were killed by air strikes and tank fire.
More than a dozen people were injured.
An Israeli army spokeswoman confirmed its forces had entered Hamas-run territory and came under attack.
In the early hours, Hamas said two members of its military wing were killed in air strikes in southern Gaza.
At least four other gunmen were wounded, Palestinian medical officials said.
Dozens of men later marched through the streets of the city, carrying the bodies of the dead and shouting anti-Israeli slogans.
Supplies cut
Israel blamed Hamas for the brazen daylight raid two days ago on the Nahal Oz terminal.
The latest Israeli action wounded a number of militants
The Israelis have shut down the terminal, which supplies fuel to the 1.5m residents of the Gaza Strip.
Officials said the interruption would last a few days. Israel faced strong international objections when it cut fuel supplies in January.
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Thursday vowed to strike at Hamas so that it "would be no longer able to act against Israeli citizens".
Addressing supporters of his Kadima party, he outlined a dual policy of hitting Hamas and "serious and responsible negotiations that can lead us to agreements" with Hamas's rival Fatah, led by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.
Hamas seized Gaza last June after routing Fatah. Mr Abbas now heads a Western-backed administration in the West Bank.
"I believe that these understandings will be reached this year, but I emphasise that I don't see any chance of implementing an agreement in the near future," Mr Olmert added.
Analysts said the statement, quoted on Kadima's website, appeared to be the most sceptical Mr Olmert has yet released about the Annapolis process, launched by the US to bring about the creation of a Palestinian state by the end of 2008.
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/7341961.stm