Israel briefly deployed ground troops inside the Gaza Strip for the first time today as its military warned Gazans to evacuate as part of a widening offensive that has killed more than 160 Palestinians.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas swore in an emergency Cabinet today and outlawed the militia forces of the Islamic Hamas movement, deepening the violent rupture in Palestinian society.

Palestinian security forces started deploying in the northern Gaza Strip today in an effort to halt Palestinian rocket attacks on Israeli targets and stave off a threatened Israeli military offensive.

A Palestinian anti-tank missile struck a vehicle at an Israel-Gaza border crossing today, wounding one Israeli, Israeli military officials said.