Teen-ager killed in 'pinpoint' strike in Gaza

A Palestinian surveys his damaged house in Rafah

RAFAH, Gaza (CNN) -- A Palestinian teen-ager was killed in what Israelis called a "pinpoint defensive raid" into a refugee camp in Gaza, Palestinian authorities said.

The strike came just before Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon met Wednesday with his Security Cabinet at a Jewish settlement where a settler was killed Tuesday.

Israeli military authorities called Wednesday's strike on the Rafah refugee camp in Gaza a "pinpoint defensive operation" against Palestinian positions that fired on Israeli border patrols Tuesday.

AUDIO CNN's Jerrold Kessel: One Palestinian killed and eleven reported injured during Israeli incursion in Gaza 691 Kb/64 secs. AIFF or WAV sound    TIMELINES Recent acts of violence in the Middle East:  • Bombings  • Activist deaths     ALSO U.N. secretary-general calls for sharp cuts in Lebanon peacekeeping force Israel's Peres set to meet with U.S. officials

During the overnight Wednesday incursion, Israeli bulldozers, covered by tank fire, moved into the area and destroyed 15 buildings, Palestinian officials said.

The Palestine Red Crescent Society said a Palestinian teen-ager was killed in the incursion, and 14 people -- including three children -- were injured.

The operation lasted about four hours, with Israeli troops withdrawn by daylight. Palestinian officials called the incident a "dangerous escalation."

In Washington on Wednesday, U.S. State Department spokesman Phil Reeker repeated earlier criticism of the Israeli moves against targets in Gaza.

"Actions such as Israeli incursion into Palestinian-controlled areas -- and that would include the incursion into Rafah earlier today and the bulldozing of Palestinian buildings -- undermine efforts to defuse the situation and bring an end to the violence and escalation," Reeker said.

Palestinians also must end "provocative acts of violence," he said. "There can be no military solution to this conflict."

Sharon convened his security cabinet at the West Bank settlement of Ofra, where the settler was killed in an ambush on Tuesday. It was the first time the security cabinet has met in a Jewish settlement.

Sharon repeated his oft-stated stand that Israel will not enter negotiations with the Palestinians until there is a "complete cessation of hostilities."

In Washington, Israel's Foreign Minister Shimon Peres was due to meet with U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell. He will meet with U.S. President George W. Bush on Thursday to discuss a Jordanian-Egyptian peace proposal.

It calls for a series of confidence-building measures to end the fighting with the aim of ending the violence and restoring peace.

The Palestinians back the plan, but Israelis have reservations about the proposed blanket freeze on possible future building of settlements in Gaza and the West Bank.

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