Israel is to begin fitting some of its passenger aircraft with flares to counter potential missile attacks, defence officials said. The missile protection system was first proposed in 2002, but was delayed by disagreements over funding between government ministries, reports said.
Israeli war planes on Tuesday carried out raids on the north of the Gaza Strip, killing two Palestinians and wounding two others, a Palestinian medical source said. Israel had vowed on Monday to keep hitting Gaza, even as troops pulled out of the Hamas-run territory after clashes that killed more than 120 Palestinians and dealt a blow to peace talks.