Israeli troops and tanks withdrew today from two Palestinian towns but invaded other areas of the West Bank, killing three Palestinian men in Dura, a village south of Hebron.
Two of the victims, named as Aref Sid-Ahmad and Naeif Sid-Ahmad were killed by an Israeli rocket as they left a village mosque. Later, Taher Dudin (30) was killed outside his house by heavy machine-gun fire.
Israeli troops also rounded up dozens of Palestinian men in Dura and placing them in detention centers.
Elsewhere, Palestinian gunmen in the Jenin refugee camp continued to put up fierce resistance. Several armoured vehicles also drove into Hebron today, one of only two West Bank cities left under Palestinian control.
Israel's siege of Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity, where more than 200 armed Palestinians are holed up, has entered its second week. Israeli tanks have ringed the church.
However, Israel agreed briefly to ease the confinement of Palestinian leader Mr Yasser Arafat and allow him to meet four senior advisers ahead of a ceasefire mission by US Secretary of State Colin Powell, who is due to arrive towards the end of the week.
But Israel said Arafat's isolation would continue. Mr Sharon said the offensive would continue until Palestinian militias responsible for a string of attacks on Israeli civilians were crushed.
AP