Three dead in Gaza strip shoot-out

Three Palestinians were killed and one injured early today in a three-hour exchange of fire with Israeli troops who were conducting searches for militants near the Mughazi refugee camp in Gaza Strip.

Troops fired at Palestinians driving in a car, killing one and injuring another, relatives of the dead men said.

The body of another Palestinian man, a gunman, was found in a nearby field at daybreak, witnesses said. The identity of the third dead Palestinian was not immediately known.

The army said soldiers were shot at during the operation and returned fire.

Near Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, an exchange of fire broke out as the army cleared trees in an effort to prevent shooting at a nearby lookout post, the army said.

Palestinian witnesses said the army demolished two empty buildings in the operation.

In the West Bank, the army demolished the home of a senior militant, Kamil Abu Khmeish, who helped carry out an attack six months ago in which five Israelis were killed.

Israel’s cabinet decided on Monday to intensify operations against suspected militants and their hideouts after a double suicide bombing in Tel Aviv on Sunday killed 22 bystanders and injured 100.

In an immediate response, Israeli helicopters attacked metal workshops in the Gaza Strip with missiles