Hamas threatened revenge today after 14 Palestinians were killed in the deadliest Israeli raid in Gaza in 17 months.
Among the dead from the violence, linked to a proposed Israeli withdrawal from the coastal strip, were 11 militants and three boys between the ages of 8 and 15; 81 people were wounded.
The fighting near the Bureij refugee camp Sunday pitted hundreds of Palestinians with assault rifles, anti-tank missiles and grenade launchers against Israeli snipers and troops firing from helicopters and tanks.
In fighting today, a 16-year-old Palestinian was killed by army fire.
Yesterday's raid of the Bureij camp appeared mainly aimed at drawing out militants; troops found no weapons and made no arrests.
Israeli military officials said the raid was meant to put the militants on the defensive and prevent them from carrying out attacks on Israelis. However, the Gaza Strip is fenced in, and no Palestinian from Gaza has managed to sneak away to carry out a suicide bombing in Israel in 41 months of fighting.
The only exception came in April 2003 when two British Muslims, who were given their instructions in Gaza, crossed into Israel and one blew himself up in a Tel Aviv pub, killing three Israelis and wounding 50.