ISRAELI troops and armored vehicles moved into northern Gaza early yesterday, residents said, taking control of one town and part of another.

　　The tanks rolled in shortly after midnight, residents said, encircling Beit Lahiya and taking over parts of nearby Beit Hanoun. Both are just north of Gaza City. The Israeli military had no immediate comment.

　　Residents said bulldozers accompanied the troops, indicating that the Israelis planned to destroy structures. There was some gunfire, but no casualties were reported.

　　At the Jabaliya refugee camp, which lies between the two towns and Gaza City, residents said some nervous Palestinians were leaving their homes, while gunmen took up positions in the streets in case the Israelis decided to invade.

　　Early Monday, Israeli forces moved into the central part of the Gaza Strip, encircling three refugee camps and blowing up the house of a militant fugitive before withdrawing.

　　Yasser Arafat 's Fatah movement pledged for the first time Tuesday to try to stop attacks on Israeli civilians by its militiamen, creating a small opening for a truce. Other militant groups said attacks would continue.

　　A Fatah leader, however, cast doubt on the statement, and Israeli officials dismissed it as giving tacit approval for attacks on Israeli soldiers and settlers in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.