At Least 14 Palestinians Die in Israeli Raids

Witnesses said a few of the women carried women's clothing, which some of the gunmen slipped on to blend in with the demonstrators and flee. Soon after, the mosque collapsed from damage caused by Israeli gunfire and bulldozers.

Palestinian health officials said Intisar Ali, 50, died of gunshot wounds. The second woman killed was not immediately identified.

At a news conference in Gaza, officials from the Hamas military wing denied that gunmen used women's clothes to escape, saying they had other "secret ways" of disguising themselves. They said the men were able to escape because the Israeli army was distracted by gunfire from the mosque timed to coincide with the women's arrival.

Israeli military officials said Israeli snipers opened fire on the demonstrators after identifying armed men among them, something that is not clear on video footage that aired on Arab satellite channels throughout the day.

Hamas officials acknowledged that some of the escaping men were armed and that one Hamas gunman was killed.

In another development, former prime minister Ariel Sharon was taken to the intensive care unit of Sheba Medical Center near Tel Aviv with an infection affecting his heart. Doctors said he was in stable condition.

Sharon, 78, has been in a coma since suffering a massive stroke in January.

Special correspondent Islam Abdelkareem in Gaza contributed to this report.