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Israeli tanks storm Gaza camp

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  • Israeli tanks storm Gaza camp

    Israeli tanks storm Gaza camp

    Six Palestinians are reported to have been killed in a fierce gun battle which broke out after dozens of Israeli tanks, backed by helicopter gunships, raided a Gaza Strip refugee camp.
    Two boys aged eight and 15 were among those killed in the fighting in the Rafah camp, which lies on the Gaza Strip's border with Egypt, Palestinian medical sources said.

    The Israeli army say that their troops went in to uncover and destroy tunnels used for smuggling weapons from across the nearby Egyptian border.

    The incursion comes as the Palestinian leadership faces a new crisis amid reports Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei has threatened to resign just two days after being sworn in.

    Extensive search

    Palestinian witnesses in Rafah said that the Israeli troops entered the camp from two different directions shortly after midnight (2200 GMT) and exchanges of fire with Palestinian gunmen swiftly began.

    The gun battle continued after daybreak, witnesses said.

    Palestinian medical sources say that the majority of the 40 people injured were hurt when an Israeli helicopter fired a missile at the camp.

    Israeli military sources said an Israeli helicopter rocketed a building from which the Palestinians were shooting at the incoming troops, the BBC's James Rodgers in Gaza says.

    There are reports that one Israeli soldier was also injured.

    Israeli engineering units with dogs trained in locating tunnels joined the search for secret passages believed to stretch all the way into neighbouring Egypt.

    Military sources said they were acting on intelligence that Palestinian militants were seeking to bring in new kinds of deadlier weapons such as anti-aircraft missiles for use in attacks on Israel.

    Grenade attacks

    Residents at the camp say a number of homes have been bulldozed by Israeli forces and explosions could be heard as tunnels were destroyed.

    An Israeli army spokeswoman said dozens of grenades were thrown at Israeli troops during the operation.

    Our correspondent says the border area is one of the most dangerous parts of the Gaza Strip, an area where the Israeli army and Palestinian fighters frequently trade shots.

    During the conflict the Israelis have demolished scores of houses at the edge of the refugee camp, saying that they were used as firing positions or that the houses concealed tunnel entrances.

    Rafah has been cut off from the rest of the Gaza Strip since Saturday, when the Israeli army cut the territory into four parts.

    Divided leadership

    As the violence continued, Palestinian officials sought to resolve divisions within their leadership.

    At a meeting with Yasser Arafat described as stormy, Mr Qurei reportedly threatened to quit his post.

    In the West Bank town of Ramallah, Palestinian sources quoted Mr Qurei as telling Mr Arafat angrily "I want you to relieve me of this job" before leaving the compound where the Palestinian leader has been kept under house arrest.

    Sources close to Mr Qurei say he was indignant at Mr Arafat's attempts to "interfere" over security issues.

    The BBC's James Reynolds in Ramallah says no-one is sure whether Mr Qurei's parting words amounted to a formal threat to resign or whether they were just words of frustration at the end of a disappointing day.

    Mr Qurei's predecessor, Mahmoud Abbas, resigned following a power struggle with Mr Arafat.

    Senior officials were said to be working to smooth over the reported dispute and more talks are set to be held later to try to find a solution.

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3179838.stm
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