A PALESTINIAN woman who was nine months pregnant was crushed to death yesterday when Israeli soldiers blew up a neighbour’s house during a raid to capture a senior Hamas leader.

Nuhar Sabri Swedan, who was ten days away from giving birth, was among eight Palestinians killed when more than 30 tanks and armoured cars backed by helicopter gunships entered the Bureij refugee camp south of Gaza City. Palestinian witnesses said that Mrs Swedan, 33, bled to death as she cradled her 18-month-old daughter. Her unborn baby also died. She had been trapped by falling masonry when Israeli troops destroyed the house of a Palestinian suicide bomber next door.

A 14-year-old boy was also killed after being struck by gunfire, local people said.

The latest in a series of intensive military operations in Gaza led to the arrest of Mohammad Taha, 65, described by Israel as a Hamas founder and a key organiser of attacks on Israelis. Three of Mr Taha’s sons were also arrested, including one accused by Israel of being the assistant to Hamas’s main bomb maker, Mohammed Deif, who tops Israel’s wanted list.

Major Sharon Feingold, of the Israeli Defence Forces, described Mr Taha as a senior military figure. Referring to the deaths of the pregnant woman and the boy, she said: “We take every measure we can to protect civilians but tragically, as long as terrorists operate in their midst, they are likely to get hurt.”

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