Israel presses Gaza operation, kills 2 Palestinians
GAZA, Nov 23 (Reuters) Israeli forces killed two Palestinians in northern Gaza today, a day after the government decided to press on with raids but not order a massive assault in response to daily rocket attacks.
An Israeli airstrike killed a militant east of the Jabalya refugee camp, hospital officials said. The army said it was checking the report.
Residents said troops backed by tanks earlier thrust into the town of Beit Lahiya. Tanks firing machineguns stormed a housing project, killing a 19-year-old male civilian, hospital officials said. Another civilian was wounded, they added.
Israel said troops were operating in suburbs around Beit Lahiya, but denied forces were in densely populated areas.
Residents said it was one of the biggest raids into Beit Lahiya since Israel launched an offensive in late June after gunmen, including members of the governing Hamas militant faction, abducted a soldier in a cross-border raid from Gaza.
Militants fire rockets from northern Gaza at Israeli towns and villages. Rockets killed two Israelis in the past week.
Israel has killed more than 370 Palestinians in Gaza, about half of them civilians, since it began the offensive, hospital officials and residents say. Three soldiers have been killed.
Israel has said the raids would not stop until the soldier, Gilad Shalit, was freed and rocket attacks stopped.
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