Israeli troops backed by tanks and helicopters are sweeping areas of the northern Gaza Strip today after an incursion yesterday that killed five Palestinians.
According to Palestinian security sources, around 70 tanks and armoured personnel carriers were operating inside Beit Hanun and parts of Jabalya town and Beit Lahia.
Several suspected militants were arrested overnight and at least eight houses were demolished, the sources said.
At least 10 bulldozers were levelling farmland from where radical militants have fired rockets on army positions, Jewish settlements and nearby Israeli towns.
The head of Israel's southern command, which includes the Gaza Strip, said Israeli forces would stay as long as it takes to prevent rocket attacks.
.
Five Palestinians, including a 12-year-old boy, were killed yesterday when Israeli troops raided the area and in related violence that lasted most of the day.
AFP