Some 15 Israel Defense Forces tanks, three bulldozers and squads of troops moved into the northern Gaza Strip under cover of gunfire, Palestinian security officials said Sunday.

The IDF said the troops entered Gaza in a routine operation to prevent militants from firing homemade rockets into southern Israel.

IDF Chief of Staff Dan Halutz said earlier Sunday that Israel is weighing the possibility of stepped up military action in the Gaza Strip to halt rocket fire.

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"We will have to find a military means to reduce the rocket fire on Sderot," Halutz told Israel Radio, referring to the southern birder town frequently struck by rockets fired from Gaza. Two people were injured in a rocket strike on the town Saturday.

Asked what more the army could do, Halutz replied: "For example a more continued and deeper ground action ... we are holding consultations about this."

An Israel Air Force aircraft struck a group of people Saturday evening in the southern Gaza Strip, killing two Palestinian militants and wounding four other people, medical officials said.

The strike came hours after a homemade rocket fired from Gaza struck a house in Sderot, lightly wounding a 76-year-old woman and an 11-year-old boy.

The air strike took place in Rafah, a town bordering Egypt.

Two members of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades - a militant group linked to Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah Party - were killed. Three people were seriously wounded, and a 6-year-old boy was moderately wounded in the legs.

According to the IDF, the strike targeted a car carrying wanted militants, although Palestinian eyewitnesses said the missile hit innocent bystanders.

The air strike occurred shortly after IDF troops attacked a target along the border in northern Gaza. Witnesses said there were no injuries.

The IDF said it had targeted a militant who had tried to fire a homemade rocket into Israel.

Two people lightly wounded by Qassam rocket in Sderot
A 76-year-old woman and an 11-year-old boy were lightly wounded Saturday evening when a Qassam rocket struck a fence around a house in the western Negev town of Sderot.

The rocket hit four meters from the front door of the house, causing serious damage. The residents of the house were at synagogue at the time of the strike.

The injured woman and boy were walking past the house at the time of the strike and were hit by shrapnel. Seven other people were treated for shock.

Family members said they would be sleeping with relatives in the town. The Sderot municipality placed guards at the entrance of the house to prevent looting.

Closure on territories
Meanwhile, Israel imposed a closure on the territories Friday due to fears of attacks over Yom Kippur, which began Sunday night.

The closure is due to be lifted when the Day of Atonement ends Monday night. Police also tightened security in the West Bank and along the seam line.

However, more than 7,000 Palestinians will be able to enter Israel for work and religious purposes from the West Bank and Gaza Strip.