Israeli Raid Kills 2 Teens in Gaza

Two 15-year-old Palestinian boys were killed Wednesday in fighting in the Gaza Strip as Israel continued a new offensive against militants after a double suicide bombing at a busy seaport this week.

The deaths of the boys -- who witnesses said were unarmed -- brought to six the number of Palestinians killed in air and ground operations that began late Tuesday.

Wednesday’s fighting took place in Rafah, a site of frequent combat near the Gaza Strip’s border with Egypt.

Israeli forces moved into the town -- which Israel says serves as a hub for weapons smuggling -- in a convoy of 25 tanks and armored personnel carriers, accompanied by helicopter gunships. The forces encountered Palestinian gunfire.

Israelis described the incursion as a hunt for smuggling tunnels. “It’s a pinpoint operation,” a military spokesman said.

The youths were killed by a missile from a helicopter, one of three fired in the raid. Palestinian witnesses said the boys, Mosbah Mouafi and Alaa Annajeili, were among a group of people who were leaving their homes in a sprawling refugee camp.

Israeli officials said that in two cases, helicopters fired upon groups of armed men as they planted roadside bombs near Israeli soldiers. One of those strikes killed two Palestinian men before dawn. In the third strike, the helicopter fired at an armed group as it drew close to Israeli forces, according to military officials; witnesses said that strike killed the 15-year-olds.

The army spokesman said an investigation was underway. “We never intentionally fire at civilians,” he said.

At least 15 people were reported wounded in Wednesday’s operations in Rafah. Israeli forces withdrew Wednesday night.

Gaza Strip residents remained on edge after a decision Tuesday by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s security Cabinet to step up the military campaign against armed militants based in the territory.

Israeli officials made it clear that their controversial policy of “targeted killings” of militant leaders remained in place. On Tuesday, an Israeli missile hit the home of an Islamic Jihad commander. He escaped, but two other people -- a militant and an off-duty police officer -- were killed.

Palestinian officials expressed outrage over Israel’s announcement that it would ratchet up military operations in response to Sunday’s dual suicide bombings in the port of Ashdod that killed 10 workers.

“It seems to me they have chosen the path of revenge and confrontation rather than healing,” Palestinian Cabinet member Saeb Erekat said. He called upon the United States in particular to help rejuvenate the moribund peace process.

In recent weeks, the Gaza Strip has seen intensified tit-for-tat violence as Israel debates a Sharon proposal to withdraw from most or all 21 of the Jewish settlements there. Top security aides recommended to Sharon on Wednesday that Israel undertake a large-scale pullout from the Gaza Strip but a limited withdrawal from the West Bank, according to local media reports.

The port bombings unnerved many Israeli officials because the target was of strategic value and the damage could have been catastrophic. Most bombings during the 42-month Palestinian uprising have hit Israeli buses, cafes and other civilian venues.

The Ashdod bombers came from the Jabaliya refugee camp in northern Gaza. They were the first Palestinians in the conflict to have carried out a suicide attack in Israel from the Gaza Strip, which is surrounded by a fence and the Mediterranean Sea.

Authorities on Wednesday ordered a partial closure of the port after finding five hand grenades beneath a trap door in a cargo container shipped from the Gaza Strip. Investigators were looking into the possibility that at least one of the bombers made his way into the port as a stowaway.

In other violence Wednesday, a Palestinian man was killed and 16 people were injured in a clash in Gaza City between Palestinian security forces and members of the militant group Hamas. The incident occurred after the Palestinian forces stopped a car carrying two Hamas activists.