Dozen dead in Gaza attack

ISRAELI attacks in the Gaza Strip yesterday killed 10 Palestinians, including a 12-year-old boy, Palestinians said, the bloodiest fighting in the area since the Hamas militant group seized control two weeks ago.

The burst of violence came as the ‘Quartet’ of Mideast peace mediators — the US, EU, UN and Russia — was expected to name former British Prime Minister Tony Blair as its new envoy.

Israeli tanks and troops pushed into northern and southern Gaza, accompanied by engineering equipment and bomb-sniffing dogs and exchanging fire with Palestinian gunmen, Israeli security officials said.