Israeli helicopters attacked a house in Gaza City on Tuesday, killing two Palestinians and wounding more than a dozen in what Israeli officials called the start of a new offensive against militants in the Gaza Strip. The missile strike came hours after the Israeli security Cabinet, headed by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, authorized stepped-up operations against militant groups in retaliation for a double suicide bombing at the Ashdod seaport Sunday that killed 10 Israelis. “We will not sit idly by and allow them to hit Israeli citizens,” Interior Minister Avraham Poraz, a member of the security Cabinet, told Army Radio as tanks and armored troop carriers were positioned near the Gaza Strip. Full Story