Six killed as Israel defies backlash over raid

SIX more Palestinians were killed as Israeli forces pushed on with an unprecedented raid in southern Gaza despite criticism from the US and censure from the United Nations.

Five of the latest victims were killed in two overnight air strikes in the Jenaina neighbourhood of Rafah town and the Brazil quarter of the neighbouring refugee camp.

A sixth was shot dead by troops outside his house in the neighbourhood of Tal al-Sultan which the army has been sweeping for two days, bringing the overall death toll since the start of Operation Rainbow early on Tuesday to 40.

International condemnation of the operation, designed to smash tunnels used to smuggle weapons for Palestinian militants, has been growing after 10 Rafah residents were killed on Wednesday when Israeli troops used helicopters and tanks to disperse a protest against the raid.

The UN Security Council passed a resolution criticising Israel for killing Palestinian civilians and demolishing their houses after the US abstained.

The Palestinians hailed the vote by the council, where the US has frequently blocked resolutions critical of Israel, but the Israeli ambassador said the measure would not halt the crackdown in the Gaza Strip.

A close aide of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon expressed "disappointment" at the US decision not to use its veto power which followed unusually sharp criticism from the White House.

"While we believe that Israel has the right to act to defend itself and its citizens, we do not see that its operations in Gaza in the last few days serve the purposes of peace and security," said White House spokesman Scott McClellan.

"They have worsened the humanitarian situation and resulted in confrontations between Israeli forces and Palestinians, and have not, we believe, enhanced Israel's security."

However Israel showed no sign of halting the raid, launching more helicopter missile strikes and continuing its search of homes.

One resident of the Jenaina neighbourhood described hearing the cries of pain of two men who had been badly burned in one missile strike and later died of their injuries.

"I saw the helicopter fire two shells and then I heard two guys screaming 'help us' but nobody could do anything for them because the tanks were also firing in the neighbourhood," Mahmud Jarwun said.

Dr Ali Mussa, head of the Rafah hospital, said it was running out of space to house bodies in the morgue, while two ambulances had been put out of action after being hit by Israeli fire.

"The situation is very difficult. We only have four ambulances after the army shelled two of our ambulances," he said.

Israeli papers warned the army was unlikely to be able to stay much longer in the wake of the international backlash. "International pressure to get out is mounting," the Jerusalem Post said.