HIGHLIGHTS: Occupation Forces Briefly Occupy West Bank Towns Near Jenin, Hebron & Qalqilya Leaving Destroyed Buildings, Damaged Property Behind & Arresting a Number of Palestinians||In Gaza City, Three Alleged Rocket Factories Destroyed, Three Palestinians Wounded & Several Others Arrested||Curfew Lifted in Tulkarm|| STORY: Israel has expanded its incursion into the Gaza Strip to include Gaza City and small towns in the West Bank where it destroyed houses and arrested suspected Resistance activists. Al-Jazeera correspondent in Palestine reported that occupation forces have temporary occupied the Palestinian-ruled town of El-Yamon west of Jenin where it evacuated a several-storey building and went into search operation in a number of houses. (Read photo caption)

The correspondent added that the Israeli occupation forces later left the town leaving a number of destroyed buildings and damaged property behind.

The mayor of the town, Nayhif Abahirreh told Jazeera Satellite TV Station on the phone that a number of Israeli armoured vehicles accompanied by a company of occupation soldiers went into the town under air cover from the Israeli air forces announcing a curfew through loudspeakers and attacking a number of houses including that of Hassan Hamadan, an ordinary citizen, who was arrested with a number of others. 

The detainees were later driven away in an army car to an unknown destination.

Al-jazeera correspondent added that the same pattern of attack was repeated in a number of other west Bank towns near Hebron, Al-Khalil and Qalqilya where a number of Palestinians were also detained.

OCCUPATION FORCES PUSH INTO GAZA CITY

Israeli occupation forces pushed into Gaza City on Friday, blowing up three buildings housing workshops where rockets were allegedly being made, the Israeli occupation army said.

Palestinian security officials said four Palestinians were wounded in the first Israeli incursion since an air strike on Tuesday in Gaza City killed 15 Palestinians, including Hamas military commander Salah Shehada and nine children.

Commenting on the ground assault, the occupation army said: "During the night in south Gaza City, an Israeli military force discovered three buildings that were used as Qassam rocket factories. The three buildings housed 22 rocket-manufacturing workshops.

Three thunderous explosions shook Gaza before Israeli tanks rumbled back to Israeli-occupied territory about three km (two miles) away.

The occupation army statement said dozens of mortar bombs and Qassam rockets -- short-range weapons improvised by Palestinians -- had been fired at Israeli military posts and communities inside and outside the Gaza Strip in the past few days. There have been no casualties.

Earlier Thursday, Israeli occupation troops tanks and bulldozers stormed into, El-Zaytun, a Palestinian village in the central Gaza Strip, firing on buildings, in an incursion that left three Palestinians wounded, medical and security sources said.

CURFEW LIFTED IN TULKARM

The occupation army meanwhile lifted the curfew on Tulkarm until 6:00 p.m., Friday night.

Restrictions were lifted in time for Friday prayers in local mosques.

No other curfews were lifted in additional Palestinian cities.

PHOTO CAPTION

A Palestinian boy sits in his father's damaged workshop after Israeli forces pushed into Gaza City, July 26, 2002, blowing up three buildings housing workshops where rockets were allegedly being made according to the Israeli army. Palestinian security officials said four Palestinians were wounded in the first Israeli incursion since an air strike on Tuesday in Gaza City killed 15 Palestinians, including Hamas military commander Salah Shehada and nine children. (Ahmed Jadallah/Reuters)