Israeli troops kill 2 women in Gaza mosque siege

BEIT HANOUN, Gaza, Nov 3 (Reuters) Israeli troops shot dead two Palestinian women acting as human shields between soldiers and Palestinian gunmen holed up in a mosque in Gaza today, as well as a militant in a nearby clash, witnesses said.

An Israeli aircraft later fired a missile at another Gaza mosque, wounding three people, Palestinian rescue workers and security sources said. An Israeli army spokesman said the strike was aimed at militants in an open area who were planting a bomb.

The violence came on the third day of an Israeli assault on the Gaza town of Beit Hanoun, the largest operation it has conducted in the Gaza Strip in months, designed to put a stop to militants firing homemade rockets into Israel.

About 60 gunmen took refuge in the al-Nasir mosque on Thursday.

On Friday, around 50 veiled women, answering an appeal on local radio, marched on the mosque, acting as cover against the Israeli troops to allow the gunmen to flee.

Reuters television footage showed Israeli forces opening fire and one of the women fall dead. At least 10 were wounded.

The Israeli army said it had fired at armed Palestinians and was investigating whether it had also shot the women. The army said it had film showing armed men among the women, which it described as human shields.

The footage filmed by Reuters showed no men among the crowds of women when the first shots were fired.

Israeli soldiers also killed a Hamas militant east of Beit Hanoun during a clash that erupted between troops and Palestinian gunmen as some 30 Israeli military tanks moved towards the town of Jabalya, a militant stronghold.

MORE REUTERS PDM RN2317