Israel presses Gaza operation, kills two Palestinians

GAZA, Nov 23: 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.

On the Palestinian political front, sources from the ruling Hamas Islamist movement said Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh had met President Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah in Gaza, a sign that unity government negotiations were back on track.

Hamas sources described the meeting as ''positive'' but did not elaborate. Unity talks aimed at lifting Western sanctions were suspended on Monday partly because of disputes over distribution of cabinet seats.

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.

Israel said troops were operating in suburbs around Beit Lahiya, but denied forces were in densely populated areas.

At least six Palestinians were wounded in other incidents, hospital officials said. Two Israeli soldiers were wounded by anti-tank missiles, the army said.

Residents said it was one of the biggest raids into Beit Lahiya since Israel launched an offensive in late June after gunmen, including Hamas members, abducted a soldier in a cross-border raid from Gaza.

PRISONERS

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.

In a sign of possible progress in efforts to arrange an exchange of Palestinian prisoners in Israel for Shalit, Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal arrived in Cairo today to discuss Egyptian mediation efforts for a swap, a Hamas official said.

Meshaal lives in exile in Damascus.

Some Israeli ministers had wanted Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to approve tougher action to halt rocket attacks from Gaza.

But a large-scale offensive holds political risks for Olmert, whose popularity plummeted after Israel failed to crush Lebanese Hezbollah guerrillas in a July-August war.

The security cabinet ordered the military to prepare plans for a broader operation.

Palestinian militants say the rockets are a response to Israeli assaults.

Israeli soldiers and Jewish settlers quit Gaza more than a year ago after 38 years of occupation.

Palestinians hope a unity government will lead to the lifting of a Western embargo imposed on the Hamas government because of the group's refusal to recognise Israel and renounce violence.

Hamas took office in March after trouncing the once dominant Fatah in parliamentary elections.

REUTERS