GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip - Israeli soldiers scoured Gaza City rooftops and buildings today, searching for the body parts of six comrades blown up during intense fighting with Palestinians.

Palestinian militants proudly flaunted the body parts after Tuesday's battle, in which the soldiers were killed when their armored personnel carrier was blown up. At least nine Palestinians were reported dead in the ongoing fighting.

The Palestinian Authority, along with Egypt, urged Hamas and Islamic Jihad militants to return the remains. Israel pledged a harsh reprisal, saying it would not negotiate with the militants and vowing to continue its operation until it recovers the bodies.

After an overnight lull, the heavily armed Israeli forces, backed by tanks and combat helicopters, resumed searches early Wednesday. Gun battles erupted from time to time with Palestinian militants. Residents in the Zeitoun neighborhood - scene of Tuesday's explosion - were confined to their homes.

Early today, bulldozers entered Zeitoun, destroying parts of the main road and remains of water pipes damaged in Tuesday's fighting.

Soldiers stormed 45 shops and garages during the searches. Residents and schoolchildren gathered at the edge of the neighborhood - a Hamas stronghold - while gunmen streamed into the area, sparking gunfights with troops.

During the fighting, Israeli troops fired a helicopter missile at a building where the army said militants were planting bombs and firing missiles. Nine people were wounded in the airstrike, none of them seriously, Palestinian hospital officials said.

Minutes later, three explosions shook the neighborhood but there were no details on the cause of the explosions.

Eight Palestinians were killed in Tuesday's fighting, and soldiers today killed a ninth person who tried to fire an anti-tank missile at them, according to the army. Palestinian residents said a tenth person had been killed and buried under rubble. The report could not be independently confirmed. About 144 Palestinians have been wounded in the two days of fighting.

Saed Abdullah, a 45-year-old father of six who lives about 200 yards from the site of Tuesday's explosion, described the last 24 hours as a nightmare. He said he and his children spent hours hiding under beds as bullets penetrated the house, shattering windows and destroying furniture.

Soldiers stormed the house, locking the family into a room for more than five hours, Abdullah said. Then they took him and two other neighbors and used them as "human shields" as they searched the neighborhood, he added. Abdullah said he understands the need to collect the bodies.

"I believe there is no space for them on our land and there is no space to bury their body parts on our land either. The factions should hand over the bodies because the message has reached the world that we have defeated the Israeli army," Abdullah said.