Sources: Israeli incursion into Palestinian camp kills 9

Palestinians dig through rubble after Friday's incursion

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JERUSALEM (CNN) -- Nine Palestinians were killed and as many as 20 other people were wounded early Friday during an Israeli incursion into the El-Bureij refugee camp in Gaza, Palestinian security sources said.

Tanks blew up the house of a suspected militant, setting off a battle with Palestinian gunmen, the sources said.

An Israeli helicopter fired a rocket into a crowd of armed men during the battle, according to the regional Israeli military commander.

Nine people from two families were killed in a nearby house that was also shelled by Israeli tanks, the Palestinian sources said. That report could not be immediately confirmed.

One Israeli soldier was lightly injured, according to the Israeli army.

The suspected militant, Imam Salah Amin Shushaniya, was not inside the house at the time of the attack, according to Israeli sources. Israelis believe he planned and executed a series of bomb attacks against Israeli targets inside Gaza, including an attack on an Israeli tank in March.

The purpose of the Israeli incursion was to blow up Shushaniya's house, according to Israeli military sources. They offered no details. The Israeli forces pulled out of the area before dawn.

-- CNN Correspondent Jerrold Kessel and Producer Michal Zippori contributed to this report.

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