Fifteen Palestinians were killed and more than 50 were wounded in two Israeli raids in the Gaza Strip today, prompting vows of revenge from the radical Islamic movement Hamas.
In Gaza City, 12 Palestinians were killed during an intense gunbattle with Israeli troops that began well before dawn, and three more were shot dead during a raid in the southern Gaza town of Rafah.
The killings have thrown a shadow over a planned first meeting between the Israeli Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon and the Palestinian Prime Minister, Ahmed Qurie, which its hoped to hold at the end of February or early next month.
