Israel knew the wife of a senior Hamas militant was with him when it decided to kill him, but went ahead with the air strike anyway, the air force commander said today.

ISRAEL’S defence minister has ordered a speedy investigation into recent killings of Palestinians, including at least eight civilians, by army fire, his office said yesterday.

A suicide bombing on a bus began a day of bloodshed that left 18 people dead and dozens injured in shootings, bombings and ambushes from northern Israel to Jerusalem and the Mediterranean coast.

BRIAN McGOWAN'S suggestion, (Irish Examiner, July 31) that killing 14 innocent people, including nine children, to assassinate the terrorist leader Shehadeh is a necessary "act of self-defence" on behalf of the "democratic and decent state of Israel".

Martin Gleeson's call for a boycott against Israel (Irish Examiner, July 29) is naive in the extreme.

Israeli tanks moved into Gaza City early today in the first operation there since a bombing attack killed a Hamas leader and 14 other Palestinians in a mission that drew harsh world criticism.

FOREIGN Minister Shimon Peres yesterday said Israel would withdraw troops from some West Bank cities following stinging criticism of an air strike that killed 14 Palestinian civilians as well as a Hamas leader.

Israeli premier Ariel Sharon called his top ministers together today to discuss resuming peace talks with the Palestinians, a day after the military killed nine children along with a terrorist leader.

THE air strike which killed 15 Palestinians and obliterated a three-story building and destroyed or badly damaged several adjacent ones, came as Palestinian and Israeli political leaders were discussing ways to relieve tensions in the West Bank.

DESCRIBED by Israel as the Gaza Strip's "most brilliant and brutal terrorist," Salah Shehadeh spent more than a decade in Israeli and Palestinian jails, and for the last three years was often in hiding as he oversaw Hamas' frequent attacks.

ISRAEL came under international fire yesterday after nine children were killed along with a Hamas leader in a missile strike that premier Ariel Sharon boasted was "one of our biggest successes".

Described by Israel as the Gaza Strip’s ‘‘most brilliant and brutal terrorist,’’ Salah Shehadeh spent more than a decade in Israeli and Palestinian jails, and for the last three years was often in hiding as he oversaw Hamas’ frequent attacks.

Fifteen people have been killed and more than 150 injured when an Israeli warplane blew up the house of a leading Hamas militant in the Gaza Strip, Palestinian officials said.

At least 12 people were killed today when an Israeli warplane blew up the house of a leading Hamas militant in the Gaza Strip, Palestinian officials said.