Israeli Helicopters Fire Missiles in Gaza

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip - Israeli attack helicopters fired 11 missiles at Gaza City early Friday, hitting a hospital chapel and several metal workshops. Islamic militants retaliated by firing three crude rockets at an Israeli desert town.

In the West Bank on Friday, troops killed a Palestinian mother and her son as they hiked along a dirt path to avoid a military checkpoint between their village and the city of Nablus, neighbors said. An army spokesman said the two opened fire on an army outpost with a handgun and were found carrying hand grenades.

Hours earlier, Palestinian gunmen killed three Israeli soldiers in a West Bank ambush.

The latest flareup came just five days before Israel's general election, which is expected to give hardline Prime Minister Ariel Sharon another term.
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