Eleven Palestinians have been killed in Gaza in a cross-border raid by Israeli forces in an area east of Gaza City.

Nine of the dead were members of the military wing of Hamas, the Islamist movement that controls Gaza. One was a member of the Islamic Jihad group.

Palestinian medics said the eleventh person to die was a civilian, and that children were among the wounded.

A cameraman working for Hamas TV had both legs amputated after reportedly being shot by Israeli troops.

Israel said it did not deliberately target journalists, but added that it did not regard anyone working for Hamas as a journalist.

The Israeli forces have now pulled out of Gaza.

Israeli troops and settlers withdrew from Gaza in 2005 but it carries out air strikes and raids to try to curb rocket attacks on its territory.

'Routine patrol'

Ten people were also wounded during the heavy exchanges of fire as Israeli troops and tanks moved in to the area near the Bureij refugee camp, Palestinian medical sources said.

In all about 25 Palestinians and two Israel soldiers were injured in the raids.

The BBC's Bethany Bell in Jerusalem says Israeli drones have been circling in the sky above the site in central Gaza.

Israeli officials said its troops were on a routine patrol about 1km inside the Gaza Strip when they identified the militants and opened fire from the air and the ground.

The military said it had conducted a series of similar patrols in recent days to locate rocket launching positions.

Hamas said its fighters had discovered a covert Israeli operation and opened fire on the unit.

The Hamas field commander in central Gaza, Mohammed Siam, was among the dead, Hamas TV reported.

PHOTO CAPTION

Palestinian children flee the gun battle between Israeli troops and Hamas fighters