At least 12 Palestinians were killed and 35 wounded during an Israeli army raid on Rafah in southern Gaza Strip on the borders with Egypt at predawn on Thursday, medical sources said.  

The Israeli army forces backed by tanks and armored vehicles as well as Apache attack helicopters stormed at predawn Rafah.

Medical sources said that in the first strike that was launched as the Israeli army were storming Rafah, where seven people were killed, while another five Palestinians were killed in the continuous air and ground strikes against Rafah.

The raid came following the killing of six Israeli soldiers on the borderlines with Egypt when their armored personnel carriers drove over a roadside bomb planted by Islamic Jihad (Holy War) militants.

Israeli Apache helicopters fired at least eight rockets in two airstrikes on the refugee camp of Rafah to cover the Israeli army ground operations on demolishing houses near the borderline.

(Xinhua News Agency May 14, 2004)