Hansen (C, front) inspects houses demolished by Israeli forces during a massive Israeli raid in Rafah refugee camp

OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, October 14 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – Pushing some 40 tanks and bulldozers backed by helicopter gunships in a new incursion into Rafah refugee camp, the Israeli occupation army announced Tuesday, October 14, the killing of a Palestinian who allegedly tried to approach a Jewish settlement overnight.

An Israeli military sources claimed the Palestinian was seen approaching the Jewish settlement of Negohot near the West Bank town of Al-Khalil, reported Agence France-Presse (AFP).

An Israeli soldier had opened fire at a "suspicious shadow" which continued to approach the settlement even though warning shots had been fired, added the source.

However, the Israeli military radio confirmed that no arms had been discovered near the body.

This brings to 3,537, people killed since the outbreak of Al-Aqsa Intifada against the Israeli occupation in September 2000, including 2,632 Palestinians and 842 Israelis, according to an AFP account.

Rafah Again

An Israeli force of about 40 tanks backed by helicopter gunships launched a new incursion overnight into the Rafah refugee camp, Palestinian security sources and witnesses said Tuesday.

According to medical sources, at least three Palestinians have been injured so far in the operation, which comes barely 48 hours after the Israeli army had wrapped up another raid which drew widespread international criticism.

Dr Ali Mussa, the head of Rafah hospital, told AFP that among the injured was a 12-year-old boy who was in a serious condition after being struck by shrapnel from a tank shell.

Palestinian residents said that three houses had been destroyed in the new Israeli aggression.

Israeli helicopter gunships could be seen swooping overhead and opened fire on a number of occasions.

Israeli soldiers armed with machine-guns could be seen taking up positions in tall buildings.

Palestinian witnesses said two columns of armored vehicles entered the camp from two directions, heading for a different section of the camp from the one targeted earlier, reported the BBC News Online.

Nine Palestinians were killed, including two children and two teenagers, and about 80 injured during an earlier Israeli operation in Rafah that began on Thursday, October 9.

The U.N. Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) said about 1,500 people had been left homeless as a result of the Israeli aggression.

A senior U.N. official who went to assess damage said it looked like there had been a severe earthquake at the densely-populated camp in the south of the Gaza Strip, with up to 120 homes demolished.

"Many, many houses - maybe as many as 120 - have been completely demolished. They would have been the homes to 250, 300 families," stressed UNRWA Chief Peter Hansen.

"And if you multiply that by the family structure you're talking about a great many people, as many as 1,500, have been made homeless."

On October 11, .N. Secretary General Kofi Annan condemned the killing of Palestinian civilians in the Israeli raid on Rafah.

"Not for the first time, the Secretary-General reminds Israel that the disproportionate use of force in densely populated areas is not compatible with international humanitarian law," said his spokesman.