PALESTINIANS vowed to strike at the heart of Israel yesterday as some 10,000 mourners gathered at the funerals in central Gaza for the victims of a massive Israeli army operation.

At least 14 Palestinians were killed in gun battles with Israeli troops in one of the bloodiest days in Gaza in months.

PALESTINIAN gunmen infiltrated a Jewish settlement near the West Bank city of Hebron and opened fire last night, killing at least three people and wounding eight, Israeli military sources said.

Israeli troops shot dead five armed Palestinians and a nine-year-old boy in separate incidents near a Jewish settlement yesterday, hours after a suicide bomber blew up a fast food restaurant, killing a 15-year-old girl.