NUSSEIRAT REFUGEE CAMP, March 7: Furious Palestinians vowed to carry out retaliatory strikes in the heart of Israel on Sunday as a mass funeral was held for victims of an army raid that left 14 dead and nearly 100 wounded.

More than 10,000 people gathered to pay their last respects for 13 of the victims killed in the early-morning operation at the Nusseirat and neighbouring Bureij refugee camps as they were buried in a nearby cemetery.

Scores of masked, gun-toting militants mingled among the crowds who chanted: "Revenge, revenge" and "Our answer will be in Tel Aviv", an AFP correspondent reported.

Hamas movement said earlier that nine of its fighters were killed in the central Gaza operation which Israel said was carried out to "prevent terrorist attacks carried out against Israeli targets."

Ismail Haniya, a leader of Hamas in Gaza, said the killings would "not pass without punishment." "This massacre will only make our people stronger and more determined to continue the resistance," he told newsmen.

Hospital sources said three boys, aged eight, 12 and 15, were among the dead, adding 93 people were also wounded in clashes with the Israelis. Witnesses said around 30 tanks and jeeps, with aerial cover from two Apache helicopters, secured the entrance of the Bureij camp in central Gaza at the start of the operation around 3:00 am (0100 GMT).

After marksmen took over several tall buildings at the entrance to the camp, the army announced a curfew by loudspeaker and told residents to stay indoors.

An Israeli army source said troops refrained from entering the centre of Bureij as "the area where we are operating in is where the terror cells are located". Residents said some 1,500 people then surged to the entrance where fierce clashes broke out. -AFP