Israel kills 12 Palestinians in reprisals for deadly ambushes

Nidal al-Mughrabi, Gaza

The new spiral of violence intensified debate between proponents and opponents of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s plan to evacuate settlers from Gaza, now stalled by rightist hard-liners in his own Likud party.

Witnesses said 11 Palestinians, four of them militants, were killed in helicopter missile strikes in Rafah refugee camp, near the area where militants blew up an explosives-packed troop carrier on Wednesday. Five soldiers in the vehicle were killed.