 Israeli troops killed seven Palestinian gunmen Saturday, as the military expanded one of its largest offensives against Palestinian militants in four years of fighting. In a show of defiance, Hamas' secretive military wing Izzedine al-Qassam held a first-ever news conference in Jebaliya _ the refugee camp at the center of Israel's offensive_ vowing to resist the Israeli assault and threatening to fire rockets at the Israeli city of Ashkelon, 10 miles north of Gaza. Ashkelon has been out of reach of the rockets, but the four masked gunmen from Izzedine al-Qassam told reporters in Jebaliya camp they were working to expand their range. About 2,000 soldiers in hundreds of armored vehicles were patrolling a five-mile stretch of northern Gaza to counter militants firing homemade rockets into Israel. Both sides appear to be bracing for a long fight, with masked Palestinian gunmen fortifying their positions. |