Israeli forces pull out of north Gaza town

[oberliner]

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip - Israeli forces pulled out of the northern Gaza town of Beit Hanoun before daybreak Tuesday, the army said in a statement, completing a weeklong sweep that killed more than 50 Palestinians.

The military said the forces took up new positions inside the Gaza Strip but outside Beit Hanoun, in the northeast corner of the territory near the Israeli border. Residents reported troops and tanks withdrawing from the town overnight.

The pullout coincided with another failed effort by Palestinian leaders to forge a unity government that might lead to lifting of Western aid sanctions that have bankrupted the Palestinian Authority and caused widespread hardships.

Israeli leaders said the object of the raid was to reduce the frequency of Palestinian rocket fire at nearby Israeli towns and villages, but militants kept launching their homemade rockets throughout the operation.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061107/ap_on_re_mi_ea/israel_gaza