Israeli Army kills Palestinian in Gaza

Israeli Army kills Palestinian in Gaza
REUTERS

NETZARIM JUNCTION, Gaza Strip, March 2: Israel'sArmy said on Friday it had killed a Gazan suspected of planning to attack Israelis, but Palestinians said he was an innocent homeless man.

In Jerusalem, the Army said troops shot the man overnight,suspecting him of planting a bomb to be activated against Israeli civilians and soldiers travelling a road which links an Israeli border crossing to a Jewish settlement.

Palestinian security forces and ambulance workers whorecovered the man's body said they recognised the face -- about a third of which was blown off -- as that of a vagrant known to spend a lot of time in the area.

Hospital sources identified the man as 45-year-old Youssefal-Habila.

A Palestinian security source, who declined to beidentified, said: "It is a terrible murderous crime that the Israeli occupation has committed against an innocent Palestinian citizen in cold blood."

The incident took place along a road that has been aflashpoint of violence during more than five months of Israeli-Palestinian bloodshed. It links the Netzarim Jewish settlement with the Karni Crossing to Israel.

An Israeli Army communique issued in Jerusalem said thetroops had been in action along the road when they identified "a terrorist placing a device on the route and fired at him." It said the man was killed.

It said the soldiers had thwarted an attempted attackagainst "civilians and soldiers travelling the road". The Gaza Strip has been the site of several Palestinian militant roadside attacks against Israeli vehicles.

Witnesses said the man was wearing one sandal when his bodywas recovered. Bearded, the man also wore a black jacket, green sweater and striped shirt.

Security forces and ambulance workers, unable to find anidentification card, discovered a small cloth purse with a candy necklace in it in one of his pockets, the witnesses said.

At least 335 Palestinians, 61 Israelis and 13 Israeli Arabshave been killed in the violence which erupted following a breakdown in Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.