Israeli troops arrest 26 'militants' in raids

ISRAELI soldiers raided towns across the West Bank early yesterday, arresting 26 suspected Palestinian militants a day after mounting violence left a five-month-old truce in tatters.

Each side blamed the other for the increase in attacks. Israel said it was acting to protect itself from an unceasing barrage of rockets and mortar shells fired from Gaza. The Palestinians accused Israel of raising tensions by killing six militants in airstrikes that appeared to signal Israel had resumed its policy of targeted killings.

The violence threatened to intensify as Israeli troops massed at two makeshift camps outside Gaza, and Defence Minister Shaul Mofaz told army commanders late on Friday to plan for a ground operation in northern Gaza, though a raid would be delayed to give the Palestinians time to take action themselves.

Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia said he feared the army was planning to create a buffer zone in Gaza ahead of Israel's planned pullout from the volatile coastal strip next month.

"The Israeli tanks around Gaza are very, very dangerous. I am afraid that this will create serious problems," he said.