Israeli tanks and troops rolled into parts of the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, killing eight Palestinians, including a 12-year-old boy, said Palestinians.
Two detachments of Israeli troops were sent into northern and southern Gaza, where they exchanged fire with suspected Palestinian militants, said the army and Palestinian witnesses.
A Palestinian woman carries her wounded daughter at the Shifa hospital in Gaza City on Wednesday.
(Hatem Moussa/Associated Press)
Three suspected Palestinian militants and the 12-year-old were killed when Israeli tank fire hit a house in Gaza City, said Palestinians. Three other suspected militants were killed in another incident nearby.
In southern Gaza, an Islamic Jihad militant was killed in a clash with troops in the town of Khan Younis.
Palestinian hospital officials said as many as 40 other people were injured in the violence, while Israeli military officials said two soldiers were injured when their tank was hit by a Palestinian rocket.
It's the bloodiest day in the region since Hamas seized control of Gaza and its rival Fatah set up an emergency government in the West Bank.
Blair announcement expected
Violence erupted the same day outgoing British Prime Minister Tony Blair is expected to be named a Mideast peace envoy by the "quartet" of peace negotiators — the United Nations, the European Union, the United States and Russia.
Blair's appointment hasn't been confirmed, but Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern on Wednesday said Blair had accepted the post.
"I spoke to him about this on Friday night. I can tell you that's exactly what he's going to do," Ahern told Irish state broadcasters RTE.
Blair, speaking during his final question time in the House of Commons on Wednesday, said he believes in a two-state solution for the region, including a secure Israel and an economically viable state for Palestinians.
"I believe it is possible to do that, but it will require a huge intensity of focus and work," said Blair.
Abbas orders disarm
In a move to increase his control in the West Bank, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, Fatah's leader, ordered all armed groups, including those linked to the Fatah movement, to disarm immediately, officials said Wednesday.
A decree issued late Tuesday formally outlawed armed groups that are not part of the official government security forces, but made no reference to how the ruling would be enforced.
"All kinds of militias and military groups are banned, no matter to whom they belong," an official in Abbas' office on Wednesday quoted the decree as saying. "The government must end the phenomenon of military groups and is required to implement the law that bans carrying any kinds of weapon or explosives."
While Fatah is believed to be much stronger than Hamas in the West Bank, there are fears the Islamic group will seek to flex its muscles there too. Still, it was unclear whether Abbas would be able to carry out the crackdown.
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