Israeli helicopters pounded a refugee camp with missiles and machine gun fire today, killing at least 18 Palestinians as troops searched houses in a major military offensive that drew worldwide condemnation.

Israeli helicopters pounded a refugee camp with missiles and machine gun fire today, killing at least 14 Palestinians as troops searched houses in the largest offensive in Gaza in years.

Israeli helicopters pounded the Rafah refugee camp with missiles and machine gun fire today, killing 12 Palestinians, at least seven of them armed, as troops searched houses in the largest Israeli offensive in Gaza in years.