Seven Palestinians, one Israeli dead after latest Israeli offensive

November 1, 2006

Seven Palestinians and an Israeli soldier died overnight during an Israeli raid of the North Gaza town of Bait Hanun. Infantry backed by tanks carried out the attack, as well as surrounding and blocking access to the town's hospital. Later, six homemade rockets were fired into the Israeli border town of Sderot, lightly wounding one person.

An Israeli military spokesman said that the incursion was in response to rockets being fired from the town since the start of the year.

Israel has been engaged in a now four month-long offensive in the Palestinian territory, in which at least 260 Palestinians and 2 Israelis have died.

The Palestinian prime minister Mahmoud Haniya called the massive operation a "massacre". Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert told MPs on Monday that the Israeli military is "preparing for an even more extensive operation in the Gaza Strip".