Thousands evacuate Gaza Strip as fighting continues

Thousands fled their homes in a Gaza Strip town yesterday after Israel warned them to leave before it attacked rocket-launching sites, on the sixth day of an offensive that Palestinian officials said has killed at least 160 people.

Militants in Hamas-ruled Gaza kept up rocket salvos deep into the Jewish state as the worst bout of Israel-Palestinian bloodshed in two years showed no signs of abating, and Western foreign ministers said a cease-fire was an urgent priority.

Israel dropped leaflets into the town of Beit Lahiya near Gaza's northern border. They read: "Those who fail to comply with the instructions to leave immediately will endanger their lives and the lives of their families. Beware."

The Israeli military told the residents of three of Beit Lahiya's 10 neighborhoods to leave the town of 70,000 by midday yesterday. UN officials said some 10,000 people had fled south to eight schools run by the world body in Gaza City.

The leaflets marked the first time Israel had warned Palestinians to vacate dwellings in such a wide area.

Gaza's Interior Ministry, in a statement on Hamas radio, dismissed Israel's warnings as "psychological warfare." It told those who left their homes to return and others to stay put.

The Gaza Health Ministry said at least 160 Palestinians -- among them about 135 civilians, including 30 children -- have died during six days of warfare, and more than 1,000 hurt. Despite intensified Israeli military action, Palestinians continued to launch rockets across the border.

Israeli forces also shelled southern Lebanon today in response to a cross-border rocket attack, both sides said.

International pressure on both sides for a return to calm has increased.