Israeli troops 'kill six' in Gaza raid

Israeli troops raided what they said was a Hamas stronghold in Gaza City today and doctors said six Palestinians were killed, including a toddler and a boy aged 13.

The target of the raid was the home of Yousef Abu Hein, a top Hamas fugitive described as a senior bombmaker, in the Shijaiyah neighborhood in Gaza City. Over loudspeakers, soldiers called on all members of the large Abu Hein clan to leave their buildings.

The incursion came a day after Hamas carried out a suicide bombing in a Tel Aviv pub and a new peace plan, the so-called "road map" to Palestinian statehood, was presented to Israel and the Palestinians by Mideast mediators.

In the first phase of the plan, the Palestinians are to crack down on militants, while Israel is to withdraw from Palestinian towns and freeze settlement construction.

Thursday's incursion began at about 1.50 a.m. (2250 GMT), with tanks and undercover troops surrounding several apartment buildings belonging to the Abu Hein clan.

Dozens of Palestinian gunmen rushed to the area, exchanging fire with Israeli troops. Intense fighting continued into the morning. Israeli troops fired tank shells and heavy machine guns, including from helicopters, while gunmen used assault rifles.

Dr Fadel Abu Hein, a prominent child psychologist and a brother of the wanted man, said his four-story apartment building came under intense fire. "We are sitting in full darkness. Children are screaming. We are trying to calm them down, but bullets are coming from all directions," he said.

Six Palestinians were killed, including two boys, ages two and 13, according to doctors at Gaza's Shifa Hospital. The toddler was killed in his home by a large-caliber bullet to the head, said Dr. Moawiya Hassanain, the hospital director.

Also killed were a 40-year-old civilian and two gunmen, ages 25 and 17, doctors said. The sixth victim was en route to the hospital and not yet identified.

Fourteen Palestinians were wounded, including three who were in critical condition.

On Wednesday, Hamas claimed responsibility, along with another militia, for a suicide bombing that killed three Israelis in a Tel Aviv pub. The bomber and his accomplice both carried British passports and came from Gaza, Israeli police said.

A Hamas leader, Abdel Aziz Rantisi, said attacks on Israelis would continue, despite warnings by the new Palestinian prime minister, Mahmoud Abbas, that he would disarm militias. "We will retaliate for all crimes," Rantisi said. "We pledge to keep our weapons to fight the occupation."