Israeli troops moved into a neighborhood at the eastern part of Gaza City early Wednesday, killing 12 Palestinians and injuring about 60 others, eyewitnesses said. Two other Palestinians were shot dead in Rafah. At least six of the dead were Palestinian fighters, AFP and Palestinian sources reported. Two of the dead were Palestinian policemen, residents in Al Sheja'eya neighborhood and hospital officials said, according to The AP. The Israeli military said troops fired in response to missiles shot at tanks. Among the dead were Mohammed Ahmed Hilles, 17, the son of Ahmed Hilles, the top leader of Fatah in the Gaza Strip. The family lives in the area. One of those killed was identified as Hani Abu Askhilah, 27, a senior Hamas activist who had survived an Israeli attempt to kill him in the past, said residents. Abu Askhilah was also a bodyguard of Hamas spiritual leader and founder, Sheikh Ahmad Yassin. Two unarmed civilians were also killed, and seven of the wounded were in critical condition, doctors said. The wounded included at least three boys who were hit as they watched the battle from side streets, witnesses and doctors said. Palestinian sources identified other victims as Mohammed Al Ejleh, 30, Mohammed Abu Armana, 23, Haytham Abed, 22, Ismail Abul Atel, 30, Akram Eqeilan, Mahdi Zaidiya and Ayman Shaikh Khalil 25, all from the Al Sheja'eya neighborhood and Amer Elghemari. According to Palestinian sources, the incident started after Israeli soldiers surrounded the house of Hamas fighter, Ashraf Hassanin and called him to surrender, but an exchange of fire erupted between the troops and armed Hamas members. Hassanin, 23, died in the firefight. Also, Israeli forces, including 10 tanks and three armored bulldozers entered the Rafah refugee camp on the Gaza-Egypt border, locals said. Hospital officials in Rafah said that at least eight Palestinians arrived at the Abu Yousef Al Najjar hospital, all wounded by large caliber bullets and shrapnel. The officials added that Mohammed Zorob, 25, was in critical condition, as he was shot directly in the head. He was urgently transferred to the Al Shifa hospital in Gaza City for further treatment, but later died of his wounds. Another Palestinian was reported killed later in Rafah. Palestinian security sources confirmed that the Israeli bulldozers started tearing up the asphalt roads in these areas, aiming to destroy the infrastructure there. The bulldozers demolished also a medical laboratory serving the local Palestinian community there. The Israeli forces imposed a full closure over the areas they invaded, and soldiers occupied several Palestinian houses and turned them into shooting posts. In response to the attacks, Hamas called for a massive wave of suicide attacks against Israeli targets. "The leadership...calls on all its military cells in Jerusalem, Hebron, Nablus, Bethlehem, Jenin, Tulkarem and Gaza and in all the towns and villages to respond quickly to hit all the enemy positions it can reach with huge martyr operations," the group said in a statement. Palestinian Cabinet minister Saeb Erekat said the Israeli operations "undermine" attempts to work out a meeting between the Israeli and Palestinian prime ministers. In the West Bank, five Palestinians have been arrested by Israeli troops in the city of Nablus, WAFA reported. **PHOTO CAPTION*** A wounded Palestinian man is wheeled into Shifa hospital in Gaza City, February 11, 2004. (Mohammed Salem/Reuters)