Israeli tanks 'enter Palestinian refugee camp'

Israeli forces have swept into a Palestinian refugee camp in the northern West Bank early on Tuesday, according to Palestinian security officials.

It is an apparent hunt for suspects in the shooting deaths of five Israelis.

The pre-dawn incursion into northern Tulkarem refugee camp came hours after Israeli officials said they were weighing a military response to a Palestinian shooting rampage on Sunday in the nearby communal farm of Kibbutz Metzer.

The refugee camp is believed to be a hotbed of the Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade, which has links to Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's Fatah movement and claimed responsibility for Sunday's attacks that killed five Israelis, including a mother and her two young sons.

Troops backed by dozens of tanks carried out searches for suspected militants with ties to the group, the security officials said.

The incursion began at about 3am local time and there were no immediate reports of injuries. The Israeli army did not immediately comment.

A senior Israeli military official said Israel knew the shooter and his accomplices came from Tulkarem, but were dispatched by militants in Nablus.

Israel said the shooting revealed the insincerity of Mr Arafat's recent condemnation of attacks on civilians. Palestinians maintained the shooting was carried out by rogues and Mr Arafat promised an investigation.