Palestinians killed

Israeli forces raided two Gaza refugee camps yesterday, killing at least four Palestinians hours after militants mounted an elaborate attack at the Israel-Gaza border.

Dozens of armoured vehicles took part in the sweeps for militants in the Bureij and Nusseirat camps in the central Gaza Strip, where tanks choked a main road and explosions thundered earlier.

Israeli commentators have speculated the Army would step up operations against militant groups in the Gaza Strip before Prime Minister Ariel Sharon begins his plan to evacuate Jewish settlements there.