Israeli troops and tanks raided the Khan Younis Refugee camp in the Gaza Strip Wednesday in an operation that left at least 12 Palestinians wounded, three of them critically.
Palestinian witnesses say nearly a dozen tanks and armored vehicles moved into the camp overnight. In what has become a routine response in such occasions, Palestinian gunmen opened fire on the soldiers.
The witnesses said the casualties occurred when an Israeli helicopter fired a missile during clashes with Palestinian gunmen.
Israeli military officials said the operation was aimed at what they describe as the terrorist infrastructure. They also said they had destroyed 13 abandoned buildings that bordered the Jewish settlement of Neve Dekalim. Israel Radio reported Wednesday that the buildings had been used by Palestinian gunmen to fire on Israelis.
The incursion ended when the Israeli troops withdrew just before dawn.
In the West Bank, meanwhile, a Palestinian teenager was killed and 10 others wounded by Israeli forces in an incident Tuesday in Nablus. Palestinian witnesses said Israeli troops patrolling in jeeps in the city center opened fire on a group of stone-throwing teenagers.
Two Israelis were injured in a shooting and bomb attack on an armored bus and three civilian vehicles Tuesday near the West Bank settlement of Ariel. Israel radio said a bus passenger and the bus driver were lightly injured by shrapnel.
Shooting incidents that caused no injuries were also reported in Nablus and Rafah in the Gaza Strip.