BEIT HANOUN, Gaza, Nov 3 (Reuters) - About 60 Palestinian gunmen escaped on Friday from a Gaza mosque where they had barricaded themselves against Israeli forces, and the building collapsed soon afterwards, witnesses and the Israeli army said.

The militants managed to escape after several dozen Palestinian women acted as "human shields" between the Israeli forces and the mosque. Two of the women were shot and killed and six others were wounded, witnesses and doctors said.

The Israeli army confirmed that the gunmen had escaped from the al-Nasir mosque following a 12-hour siege, after which witnesses said the building collapsed.

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