Israeli tanks and troops are reported to have invaded the central Gaza Strip today, killing two Palestinians and demolishing 10 homes.
The violence came hours before Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's new ministers, sworn in last week, took up their posts.
Palestinians have voiced concern that Sharon's right-wing cabinet may use tough tactics to quell the 29-month Palestinian uprising despite a message from Washington that the United States planned to press for peace after any war in Iraq.
"The raid on Khan Younis is a prelude to reoccupy all of the Gaza Strip, exploiting the world's preoccupation with the Iraqi crisis," said Palestinian cabinet minister Saeb Erekat. "We condemn this aggression in the strongest possible terms."
An Israeli army commander said the raid targeted Palestinian snipers and militants waging repeated attacks against Israeli troops and Jewish settlements in the seaside strip following the death of an Israeli soldier by sniper fire on February 23. "The army is making an effort to put the militant groups in the area on the defence," he told journalists.
Last month a bomb planted by the militant Islamic group Hamas killed four Israeli tank crewmen in the Gaza Strip in what the group said was retaliation for Israeli killings. Israel responded with raids into Gaza in which some 40 Palestinians were killed.