4 Gaza militants slain in Israeli raid

EREZ CROSSING, GAZA STRIP — Israel fired missiles and sent tanks into the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, killing four Palestinians in the deadliest military action since Hamas militants took control of the territory last week.

This morning, an aide to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has invited the Israeli, Palestinian and Jordanian leaders to attend a summit Sunday in Egypt.

Yasser Abed-Rabbo said those invited were Abbas, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and King Abdullah II of Jordan.

In northern Gaza, Israeli aircraft fired missiles Wednesday at two rocket launchers, the first aerial attack on the strip since June 14, when Hamas vanquished Abbas’ Fatah movement. No injuries were reported in the strike, which came after rocket fire into Israel.

Israeli tanks rolled about 600 yards into southern Gaza before dawn, and four militants were killed in a gun battle, Palestinian hospital officials said.

Hamas and the allied Popular Resistance Committees said fighters fired on undercover Israeli troops, prompting the army to send six tanks, two armored personnel carriers and a bulldozer to the area. The army said the incursion had been planned and was meant to counter militant activity.

In the West Bank, two Palestinian militants were killed in a shootout with Israeli troops near Jenin, residents said. One was identified as being with Islamic Jihad and the other as linked to a violent offshoot of Fatah.

Also on Wednesday, Israel allowed entry to a few sick and wounded Palestinians. Many other people have waited for days in hope of crossing the border.