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Exchange of fire at Gaza mosque Gunmen escape Gaza mosque siege
(10 minutes later)
Israeli forces surrounding a mosque in the town of Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip have clashed with Palestinian gunmen inside. The Israeli army says the siege at a mosque in the town of Beit Hanoun in northern Gaza Strip is over.
A number of gunmen took refuge there along with dozens of others. A spokesman said Israeli forces had entered the compound and there was no-one inside.
There are reports of soldiers firing on groups of women who tried to approach the mosque to form a human shield. Two women are reported to have been killed. He told the BBC that gunmen who were holed up in the mosque had escaped when a crowd of women approached it.
Witnesses said bulldozers demolished a wall as the Israelis tried to force those inside to surrender. A tense standoff developed after Israeli forces surrounded the mosque, where Palestinian gunmen had taken refuge along with dozens of others.
There have been exchanges of fire between Israeli forces and the gunmen. Hamas radio has reported that the all the militants in the mosque had escaped and were uninjured.
Israel's military entered and sealed Beit Hanoun on Wednesday seeking, it said, to stop rockets being fired into Israel. There have been reports of Israeli soldiers firing on the groups of women who approached the mosque, after an appeal on Hamas radio, to form a human shield. Two women are reported to have been killed.
Twenty Gazans and an Israeli soldier have died in the operation, one of the biggest in the strip in recent months. Witnesses said bulldozers demolished a wall as the Israelis tried to force those inside to surrender and there have been exchanges of fire between Israeli forces and the gunmen.
Israel's military entered and sealed of Beit Hanoun on Wednesday seeking, it said, to stop rockets being fired into Israel.
Twenty Palestinians and an Israeli soldier have died in the operation, one of the biggest in the strip in recent months.
Human shieldHuman shield
Hamas radio broadcast a call for Palestinian women to form a human shield around the mosque.
In Gaza City overnight an Israeli air strike killed four Hamas militants.In Gaza City overnight an Israeli air strike killed four Hamas militants.
The four were travelling in a vehicle that was hit by a missile, Hamas and medical sources said.The four were travelling in a vehicle that was hit by a missile, Hamas and medical sources said.
A local commander of Hamas' military wing was reportedly among the casualties.A local commander of Hamas' military wing was reportedly among the casualties.
But an Israeli military source told the BBC's Matthew Price in Jerusalem that the operation was not going as well as hoped.But an Israeli military source told the BBC's Matthew Price in Jerusalem that the operation was not going as well as hoped.
Many of the 20 Palestinians killed in three days of violence have been gunmen, but a four-year-old boy died from his wounds overnight.Many of the 20 Palestinians killed in three days of violence have been gunmen, but a four-year-old boy died from his wounds overnight.
On Thursday, seven Palestinians were killed in northern Gaza.On Thursday, seven Palestinians were killed in northern Gaza.
Both the Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Ismail Haniya have described the Beit Hanoun operation as a massacre.Both the Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Ismail Haniya have described the Beit Hanoun operation as a massacre.
The Israeli army confirmed that one of its soldiers had been killed on Wednesday.The Israeli army confirmed that one of its soldiers had been killed on Wednesday.
Israeli forces have made regular incursions into Gaza and the West Bank following the capture of an Israeli soldier, Cpl Gilad Shalit, in a cross-border raid by Palestinian militants on 25 June.Israeli forces have made regular incursions into Gaza and the West Bank following the capture of an Israeli soldier, Cpl Gilad Shalit, in a cross-border raid by Palestinian militants on 25 June.
More than 300 Palestinians have been killed in army operations since then, according to Israeli human rights group B'Tselem.More than 300 Palestinians have been killed in army operations since then, according to Israeli human rights group B'Tselem.
Rocket attacks by militants against towns close to the Gaza border, including Sderot and Ashkelon, have continued since Israel pulled its troops out of Gaza in 2005.Rocket attacks by militants against towns close to the Gaza border, including Sderot and Ashkelon, have continued since Israel pulled its troops out of Gaza in 2005.