An Israeli strike killed two militants from the Islamic militant Hamas movement in the northern Gaza Strip yesterday, Palestinian security officials and the Israeli army said.
The two were "minutes away" from launching a makeshift Kassem rocket at Israel, an army spokeswoman said.
Some Palestinian sources, however said the two may have been killed when their Kassem exploded on the launch pad.
Palestinian militants have fired around 30 Kassems at Israel over the weekend, in an apparent response to the deaths on Friday of seven Palestinian civilians in an explosion on a Gaza beach.
`Unacceptable'
UN Secretary General Kofi Annan was "deeply disturbed" at the killings while British Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett said "the killing of innocent civilians is utterly unacceptable."
The US State Department also voiced its "regret" while calling on both sides to exercise restraint.
One of the Palestinian rockets critically wounded the maintenance man of an elementary school in southern Israel.
Initial reports said the beach explosion on Friday was an Israeli shell which went astray after being fired at rocket launching sites. But the Israeli army said they were still checking the source of the blast.
Israel Radio, quoting Palestinian officials, reported yesterday morning that officials of the ruling Palestinian Hamas movement removed evidence of the explosion from the beach.
Hamas' military wing said, in wake of Friday's deaths, that it was calling an end to the truce it declared 16 months ago and would renew rocket attacks and suicide bombings.
Meanwhile, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas prime minister Ismail Haniya agreed to differ over a referendum called by Abbas but fiercely opposed by the Hamas government after talks on Saturday, Haniya said.
The first-ever Palestinian referendum will take place on July 26, according to a decree signed by Abbas and read out to reporters.
Voters will vote yes or no to a document calling for a national unity government, an end to attacks in Israel and the creation of a Palestinian state alongside Israel on land conquered by the Jewish state in 1967.
Palestinian split
But Haniya said after the late-night meeting on Saturday: "We failed to agree on the referendum question and we stressed to the president the dangers of this consultation for Palestinian unity."
The talks were to continue last night, he added.
Abbas said in the decree: "The Palestinian people in Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip are asked to give their verdict in a referendum on July 26 on the document of national unity -- the prisoners' document."
Hamas swiftly blasted the move, accusing Abbas of trying to stage a coup against the government of the Islamist movement that swept to power after crushing Abbas' Fatah faction in a January election.
"This is a coup against the choice of the Palestinian people," senior Hamas lawmaker Mushir al-Masri said.
Before Haniya and Abbas held their meeting late on Saturday, Haniya said he would express his rejection of the referendum.
"During this meeting with Abbas I will discuss the dangers of this referendum," Haniya said, emphasizing that he remained open to talks.
RSS