6 Palestinians killed in Israeli raid in Gaza

An Israeli soldier aims his night vision rifle from atop of an Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) during an Israeli army incursion into Rafah, near the Egyptian border, early yesterday. Six Palestinians including a child were killed in an Israeli army raid overnight in the Rafah refugee camp of southern Gaza. Photo: AFP

Up to 100 armoured vehicles backed by helicopters thrust deep into densely-populated refugee camps in the Gaza Strip town of Rafah on the border with Egypt, Palestinian security sources said.

The Israeli army said the raid launched late Thursday -- codenamed "Operation Root Canal" -- was aimed at thwarting weapons smuggling through secret tunnels dug under the border by Palestinian militants.

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An Israeli officer at the scene told AFP the army feared militants were trying to smuggle more sophisticated weapons such as Stinger-type missiles, which could threaten Israeli warplanes and civilians aircraft.

But he admitted that so far no tunnels had been found, as the army said it was encountering strong resistance from Palestinians using dozens of home-made bombs, rocket-propelled and other grenades and automatic weapons.

Two children, aged eight and 12, and a teenager were shot dead by Israeli troops, while three other Palestinians were also killed during the operation, which was still ongoing Friday morning.

Two of them were killed when an Israeli helicopter fired a missile into the Ybna district of the Gaza Strip camp.

At least five houses were demolished and the electricity and water networks heavily damaged, witnesses and Palestinian security sources said.

An army statement said one soldier had been lightly wounded in the operation, one of the largest in the area since the start of the intifada just over three years ago.

Meanwhile, Israeli troops launched a massive operation to thwart weapons smuggling into the Gaza Strip, the army said yesterday in a statement which described how Palestinians have been digging tunnels under the border with Egypt to run arms.

Military sources said the raid was code-named "operation root canal" and added the army's elite units met with fierce resistance.