Israeli soldiers and Palestinian gunmen battled in a Gaza refugee camp today when Israel launched a raid hours after US President George W. Bush had pledged support for an Israeli pullout from the territory.
A Palestinian was killed and 21 others wounded in the fighting, including 11 people hit when a helicopter fired a missile at a building where gunmen were concealed, Palestinian sources said.
Witnesses said the dead man was a bystander shot by Israeli troops as he tried to flee the day-long clashes in Rafah camp.
Israeli military officials said a helicopter gunship fired a missile at a group of gunmen fighting soldiers searching for tunnels used to smuggle weapons in from the nearby Egyptian border. One tunnel was located, the military sources said.
Palestinians fired rifles, anti-tank rockets and bombs during the raid in Rafah, the officials said.
Seven gunmen were wounded in the helicopter missile strike, Palestinian sources said, adding that the rest of the wounded were civilians. There were no reports of Israeli casualties.
Palestinian sources said five houses were destroyed in the raid, launched late on Wednesday when 40 armoured vehicles backed by helicopter gunships thrust into the camp.
Israel has carried out frequent raids in Rafah during the three and a half years of the Palestinian uprising. Troops have demolished scores of homes in missions to uncover and destroy arms smuggling conduits.