Israeli forces have shot four people to death in separate incidents in the Palestinian territories today.
The Israeli army killed a senior member of the Hamas group, an Islamic militant, a woman bystander and a 16-year old boy.
Witnesses said troops shot dead Tareq Abu al-Hussain, 39, a local leader of Hamas' military wing, in a clash which began at Brazil refugee camp in southern Gaza where militants have battled Israeli soldiers who attacked the camp three days ago.
Another Hamas militant was killed in the shooting and a woman, 30, was killed by shrapnel from a tank shell after emerging from her house, witnesses said.
In a separate clash, soldiers shot dead a16-year-old boy during a confrontation in the West Bank city of Tulkarm. Palestinian witnesses said the troops opened fire on stone-throwers, hitting the boy.
An Israeli military source claimed the soldiers had opened fire in response to shooting and the hurling of firebombs at them in Tulkarm, and that one of the gunmen was hit.
Thousands of angry Palestinians attended a funeral for three of the dead in the southern Gaza area known as Rafah, where witnesses said militants fired guns into the air and threatened further suicide attacks against Israel.
"Our reaction will make Tel Aviv shudder...All our bodies are ticking bombs," they chanted.
Hamas' military wing also vowed revenge in a statement faxed to Reuters.
An Israeli military source said that soldiers had opened fire on several armed men spotted laying an explosive in the Rafah area where Israeli soldiers have been searching the past week for tunnels used to smuggle weapons in from Egypt.
The source denied any tank rounds were fired.
The deaths raised to 15 the total number of Palestinians killed during these raids since October 10, including two children, Palestinian officials said.
Israeli soldiers also blew up a home in Rafah today, witnesses said. United Nations personnel have said that more than 110 homes have been wrecked during the Israeli campaign in southern Gaza in the past week.
More than 2,180 Palestinians and some 830 Israelis have been killed in a Palestinian uprising for statehood launched against Israel in September 2000. Hamas has carried out many of the suicide bomb attacks in which Israelis have died.
Israel has blamed the violence on what it says is Palestinian President Yasser Arafat's failure to crack down on militant groups. Palestinians accuse Israel of stoking violence by pursuing a policy of tracking down and killing militants.