12 killed in Israeli air strikes

Israeli air strikes killed 12 Palestinians and wounded 30 today as their tanks and bulldozers began demolishing dozens of homes in Gaza.

In a further escalation of the already worsening situation, Israeli tanks and troops entered Rafah refugee camp in a bid to seize militants.

The operation came despite international criticism of the destruction of more than 100 homes in the camp in the past week, sparked by the killing of 13 Israeli soldiers.

The latest offensive started during the night when Israeli troops fanned out into Rafah's Tel al-Sultan neighbourhood, carrying out house-to-house searches. The first air strikes hit the camp shortly after midnight.

At dawn today a convoy of 45 military vehicles moved into the area and began digging a trench to separate the troops from the rest of the camp.

In a report published today, Amnesty Internat ional describes the destruction of homes as a war crime and a breach of the Geneva Convention. More than 1,000 Palestinians have been left homeless by the latest wave of demolitions. UN secretary-general Kofi Annan denounced the operation, saying: "I appeal to the Israeli government to stop this destruction."