Thirty-three Gazans, at least half of them civilians, died in pitched battles between Israeli troops and Palestinian rocket squads that escalated sharply on Saturday, clouding an upcoming peacemaking mission by U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
Two children were among those killed in some of the fiercest fighting in the Gaza Strip since Islamic Hamas militants seized control there in June. Palestinian fighters bombarded Israel with 40 rockets and mortar rounds by early afternoon, undeterred by Israeli troops backed by tanks and attack aircrafts. The latest round of bloodletting began before midnight on Friday in Beit Hanoun.
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