Gaza City: At least nine Palestinians were killed and dozens more injured when Israeli tanks, backed by helicopter gun ships, launched a major overnight incursion into the Gaza Strip, witnesses and Palestinian security sources said on October 7.

Jamal Barabakh, 16, and Rama Abu Samala, 50, were the victims, seven of who were named by Palestinian sources after Israeli tanks rolls into the autonomous Palestinian town of Khan Yunes.

A hospital source told AFP that the death toll could rise further.

Many of the 40 or so Palestinians injured were said to be in serious condition after tanks launched cannon and heavy machine-gun fire as they entered the town. The accompanying helicopter gun ships fired off missiles and machine guns, the sources said.

The Israeli forces later returned to the Gane Tal Jewish settlement from whence they had set out, witnesses said.

Israeli public radio said that bulldozers took part in the operation, which included 40 tanks, but there was no immediate confirmation from the Israeli Army.

Earlier on October 6, a Palestinian rocket was fired at a Jewish settlement in the Northern Gaza Strip without causing any injuries or damage, a military source said.