Three Palestinians were killed this morning during a massive Israeli army raid into the northern Gaza Strip, Palestinian security sources said.
A boy (12) and a man (22) were shot dead in the town of Beit Hanoun; another man (31) was killed in the neighbouring Jabaliya refugee camp.
At least 10 other Palestinians were wounded during exchanges of fire in the dawn operation mounted by some 50 Israeli tanks, accompanied by four bulldozers and two combat helicopters during the Israeli operation.
The army claimed it was an operation to stop Palestinian rocket and mortar bomb attacks.
An army statement claimed Palestinians had fired 43 mortar bombs and 12 Qassam rockets at Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip and into southern Israel in the past two weeks.
Israeli forces shot dead five Palestinians in clashes in the southern Gaza Strip yesterday.
Israel launched this morning's raid on the day Palestinians mark the 55th anniversary of their "Nakba" (Catastrophe), the loss of their homeland to the new state of Israel. They have been waging an uprising for statehood since September 2000.
The violence was another blow to US efforts to promote a new peace plan known as the "road map." It calls for an end to 31 months of Israeli-Palestinian violence, reciprocal confidence-building measures and a Palestinian state by 2005.