Israeli troops and tanks launched twin incursions into northern Gaza Strip overnight, triggering a clash in which two Israeli soldiers were slightly wounded.
Security officials said Israeli armored columns entered Beit Lahia and neighbouring Beit Hanoun in the latest large-scale raids to root out militants in the overcrowded coastal zone.
Shots were heard in the Beit Lahia sector, sources said, but there were no immediate reports of casualties. In Beit Hanoun where another exchange of fire ensued between armed Palestinians and Israeli troops, they said.
Israeli forces destroyed one house in the area before pulling out, Palestinian witnesses said. A bomb exploded during the search and troops responded with gunfire without causing any casualties, the army said. It denied a claim by the radical Islamist group Hamas that a tank had been destroyed.
The Israeli army said that 10 Palestinians linked to anti-Israeli attacks had been arrested during the operation.
The army also said that four other wanted Palestinians had been picked up in the West Bank, most of which has been under Israeli military control since mid-June.
AFP