At least 10 Palestinians killed by Israeli tank fire

RAFAH, Gaza Strip -- Israeli forces fired a missile and a barrage of tank shells to hold back a crowd of Palestinians protesting military operations in Gaza on Wednesday, killing at least 10, including children and teens. Overwhelmed doctors treated some of the dozens of wounded on blood-drenched hospital floors.

White smoke rose into the air as Palestinians carried the wounded -- including children with bloodied faces -- from the scene. Some were evacuated to the hospital in donkey carts, witnesses said.

"I could see the tank, first it fired a tank shell, it landed next to an electricity pole," said Hisham Ashour, 45, who was near the front of the crowd. "We immediately started picking up the wounded who had collapsed to the ground. Many of them were kids."

The strike, captured in dramatic television footage, provoked anger throughout the Arab world and condemnation from U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan and European leaders. British Prime Minister Tony Blair called Israel's 2-day-old military offensive in the Rafah refugee camp "unacceptable and wrong."

President Bush withheld judgment on the attack, urging restraint on both sides and saying innocent life must be respected.

"We'll get clarification from the Israeli government," Bush said. "I'll continue to speak out about the need for all parties to respect innocent life in the Middle East."

Israel expressed regret over the deaths Wednesday and said the casualties were a result of warning shots to hold back the crowd after several gunmen were spotted among several thousand marchers.

Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz said the growing international condemnation would not deter Israel from pressing ahead with its offensive in the camp to hunt down militants and destroy arms-smuggling tunnels. The massive invasion-- the largest in the Gaza Strip in years -- came less than a week after Palestinian militants killed 13 soldiers in Gaza.

The deaths brought to 34 the number of Palestinians killed since Israeli forces invaded the camp's Tel Sultan neighborhood early Tuesday. Palestinians said most of the casualties in "Operation Rainbow" were civilians.

The fighting has revived debate inside Israel on its continued presence in Gaza. Sharon has proposed withdrawing from the volatile area, but his Likud Party rejected the proposal this month. Sharon has pledged to push forward with his plan.

On Wednesday afternoon, Palestinians marched from the town of Rafah to the nearby refugee camp to protest the Israeli invasion. An Israeli helicopter flew overhead, firing several flares toward the marchers as machine gun fire was heard. Moments after the flares descended, a large explosion went off in the crowd. Witnesses said a tank shell caused the blast.

Associated Press Television News footage showed smoke and debris flying, followed by Palestinians carrying away the wounded, including several children with bloodstained faces.

The army said Israeli soldiers fired four tank shells at an abandoned building, which blocked their view of protesters who were passing on the other side at that very moment. At least one of the shells tore through the building and hit the crowd. Israeli forces also fired a missile and machine guns but said nobody was hurt as a result.

Raanan Gissin, spokesman for Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, said Israel has "no policy whatsoever to shoot into crowds regardless of who was in the crowd."

Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat called the strike "genocide" and a "massacre that stands against all humane, civilized and political principles."

Dr. Moawiya Hassanain, a Palestinian Health Ministry official, said at least 10 people were killed and 50 wounded, 36 of them critically. Among six of the dead identified by Wednesday evening, four were children, ranging in age from 9 to 14. The two others were 17 and 20. Most of the wounded were youngsters.

The stairs and floors at the Rafah hospital were drenched in blood as doctors shouted for help and blood donations. Hospital staff treated the wounded on the floors after quickly running out of beds.

"Until this moment I can't imagine how we dealt with the cases -- burn cases, cases of people whose insides were exposed, kids screaming and blood everywhere," said hospital director Dr. Ali Mousa.

"I have been working here since the beginning of the intifada, we have faced many similar situations, but, today was the worst I've ever seen," he added.

With the small hospital morgue overflowing, bodies were stored in a refrigerated vegetable storeroom nearby. Dozens of Palestinians lined up at the hospital to give blood.

"The least we can give is our blood, we have nothing to offer," said Sami Abu Irmana, 19, his blue shirt stained with blood from a shrapnel wound in his shoulder.

Residents of the refugee camp's Tel Sultan neighborhood remained holed up in their homes Wednesday as gunfire crackled in the air.

One of them, Izzidine Adwan, said the Israeli army called on all men to leave their houses so that troops could question them. Adwan said some 3,000 answered the call and that after questioning, 50 were arrested.

Early Wednesday, the army said it demolished the Rafah home of an Islamic Jihad militant it said was responsible for a shooting attack that killed a pregnant Israeli settler and her four daughters this month. Palestinian witnesses said at least three homes were demolished overnight.

Israeli forces also killed two militants in separate incidents in the West Bank Wednesday.