Israeli forces are pushing deeper into a Palestinian refugee camp at Jenin in the West Bank and have killed at least five more Palestinians in fighting there.

Over two days, at least 18 Palestinians and one Israeli soldier have died, and more than 130 Palestinians have been wounded, during the Israeli assaults on the Jenin camp and the Balata refugee camp near Nablus. Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat is calling for international action to halt the Israeli assaults before chaos engulfs the region.

These are the first Israeli invasions of refugee camps since the start of the Palestinian uprising - now in its 18th month. Camp residents say Israeli troops are making arrests and searching house-to-house for weapons. The Israeli army calls the refugee camps safe havens for terrorists attacking Israelis. Palestinians say Israel is trying to destroy a land-for-peace initiative proposed by Saudi Arabia that has won support from the international community.

In the Gaza Strip, gunfire from Israeli troops guarding a Jewish settlement killed a seven-year-old Palestinian boy, Friday. Palestinians say the soldiers fired indiscriminately into a Bedouin encampment.

Meanwhile, a new opinion poll published in Israel's daily Ma'ariv indicates for the first time since Ariel Sharon was elected prime minister a year ago that more than half of Israelis 53 percent are dissatisfied with his performance.

Some information for this report provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.

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