Israeli tanks and bulldozers entered a Gaza refugee camp early today, demolishing homes and battling Palestinian gunmen before withdrawing.
A Palestinian was killed and 14 people, including three children, were wounded in the raid on the Brazil camp.The Israeli army said troops moved in to destroy buildings used by Palestinian gunmen as cover to fire at soldiers and as bases for planting bombs.
Officials of the UN Relief and Works Agency forPalestinian refugees brought tents, blankets, mattresses and cash for those made homeless. They told reporters 18 houses had been destroyed in the attack.
Last month Israel abruptly ended a similar incursion that demolished homes in the Khan Younis refugee camp in the Gaza Strip after US Secretary of State Mr Colin Powell criticised it as an excessive and disproportionateresponse to Palestinian provocations.