Israeli forces kill seven gunmen in Gaza

GAZA (Reuters) - Israeli troops backed by tanks, helicoptergunships and warplanes killed seven Palestinian militants and aschoolteacher in a raid in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip onThursday, militant groups and hospital officials said.

Israel has stepped up military action against Hamas sinceit claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing on Monday, thefirst such attack by the Islamist faction inside the Jewishstate since 2004.

Residents said tanks and heavy bulldozers penetrated theborder fence near the northern town of Jabalya. Israeli forcesalso struck in nearby Beit Hanoun, a border community oftenused by Palestinian militants to fire rockets into Israel.

Hamas, the ruling Islamist group, said six of its gunmenwere killed in the violence. Another gunman, from IslamicJihad, also died in the clashes, it said.

An Israeli missile hit a school in Beit Hanoun, killing ateacher and wounding three pupils, hospital officials said.

Two of the wounded were initially identified as fellowstaff members but the Education Ministry later said all threewere pupils aged 16.

"What was the fault of a teacher, an emissary on a sacredmission?" the ministry said in a statement deploring theattack.

An Israeli military spokeswoman said troops had fired on aPalestinian rocket crew spotted inside Beit Hanoun.

"We certainly did not target a school," she said. Aninvestigation is under way to determine whether the buildingmight have been hit by a stray missile.

The military spokeswoman confirmed there had been anincursion in Jabalya and said forces withdrew after a fewhours.

ROCKET FIRE

In the West Bank city of Ramallah, the executive committeeof the Palestine Liberation Organisation called on Israel tostop "operations of killing and destruction ... includingaggression against houses and schools".

After a meeting chaired by Palestinian President MahmoudAbbas, the committee issued a statement expressing itsopposition to rocket fire on Israel and other attacks onIsraeli civilians. It said the violence hurt the Palestiniancause.

Israel quit Gaza in 2005 after 38 years of occupation butstill controls its coast, key crossings and airspace. Hamas andother factions regularly launch crude rockets across theborder.

"If rocket fire from Gaza continues we will intensify ouroperations ... until the salvoes end," Israeli Defence MinisterEhud Barak said in remarks aired by Army Radio.

Seven rockets were launched from Gaza on Thursday, the armysaid. One hit the border town of Sderot, hurting two Israelis.

Hamas seized control of the Gaza Strip in June when itrouted secular Fatah forces loyal to Palestinian PresidentMahmoud Abbas, who has revived peace talks with Israel. Hamasrefuses to give up its fight against the Jewish state.

(Additional reporting by Joseph Nasr in Jerusalem andMohammed Assadi in Ramallah, Writing by Dan Williams, Editingby Matthew Tostevin)