Four Gazans killed during Israeli raid

GAZA, Aug 14 (Reuters) Israeli ground forces killed four Palestinians today when they clashed with militants during a raid on the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, the Islamist group and hospital officials said.

Hospital officials said two Palestinians -- a Hamas militant and a 40-year-old bystander -- were killed during the raid on the southern villages of Qarara and Abassan.

Hamas said another Hamas militant and his mother were shot and killed as they emerged from their home in the area. At least 12 Palestinians were wounded in the fighting, in which the Israeli troops were backed by military aircraft.

An Israeli army spokesman said the operation was carried out to try to find a suspected militant tunnel network at the Gazan frontier and to prevent cross-border Palestinian rocket fire.

''During the operation, our forces encountered gunmen and fired on them, hitting at least four,'' the spokesman said.

The army did not say whether any tunnels were found during the operation.

Hamas's armed wing, the Izz el-Deen al-Qassam Brigades, vowed in a statement to continue the fight against Israel ''until either victory or martyrdom''.

Israel has tried to isolate Hamas in the Gaza Strip, which the group seized by force in June in fighting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's secular Fatah faction.

REUTERS CS ND1346