IN THE biggest sweep of its kind for months, Israeli troops hunting for militants stormed dozens of homes in this Palestinian city yesterday, ordering residents to line up in the dawn chill as tanks blocked roads and helicopters hovered above.

An Israeli tank shell hit a Palestinian elementary school today, killing four students and wounding several others, a Palestinian security commander said.

In a video-taped farewell speech released tonight, a Palestinian university student said he was one of 12 suicide bombers groomed by the Islamic militant group Hamas to carry out attacks in Israel.