GAZA CITY, May 7 (IslamOmnline.net & News Agencies) - Israeli occupation forces killed a Palestinian activist and a toddler on Wednesday, May 7, as the Jewish state further tightened a military blockade on the West Bank and Gaza Strip on the 55^th anniversary of its creation on Palestinian land occupied in 1948.

An 18-month-old Palestinian boy died hours after being shot at by Israeli soldiers guarding the Gadid Jewish settlement who opened fire on the southern Gaza Strip refugee camp of Khan Younis, Palestinian security and medical officials said.

An Israeli special unit also swept into Khan Younis city And abducted Mohamed Zakaria Agha. The unit members gave no motive for the abduction.

An Israeli army spokeswoman claimed Palestinian gunmen in the area had twice opened fire earlier in the day and that troops had shot back.

Five home-made mortars were also fired early Wednesday at a nearby settlement, Agence France-Presse (AFP) quoted the spokeswoman as saying.

The houses of Khan Yunis facing the Jewish settlements are riddled with bullet holes and scars from shell fire, while the settlements themselves are heavily defended with concrete walls and military posts.

The boy's death brought to 3,211 the number of people killed since the Palestinian Intifada against occupation erupted in September 2000, including 2,421 Palestinians and 730 Israelis.

The Israeli army also shelled different areas of the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, May 6, and abducted Palestinian fishermen off the Strip coast after wrecking their boat.

Hamas Activist Killed

In another related development, an Islamic resistance movement Hamas activist was killed Wednesday in an explosion near Nablus, in the northern West Bank, Palestinian sources said.

An Israeli tank fired a shell at Amin Fadel while standing on the doorstep of his house in Zawata village to the West of Nablus, Palestinian security sources told IslamOnline.net. Fadel died immediately and his body parties flied into the air.

Fadel’s mother and brothers had been earlier abducted by Israel in a bid to pressure him into surrender after being blamed for attacks on Jewish settlers.

Residents of Zawata were quoted as saying that Israeli troops had imposed a curfew in the village on Wednesday morning. They said they heard gunshots followed by an explosion from the apartment building in which Fadel was hiding.

Israeli forces have also killed scores of Palestinian fighters in what they say are attempts to thwart bombings and other attacks. Palestinians describe the killings as state-sponsored assassinations.

Meanwhile, Israel celebrated the 55th anniversary of its establishment on the Palestinian lands in the day with fireworks flashing in the air, and has increased restrictions on the West Bank and Gaza Strip in fear of fresh attacks.

The Jewish state was created on territories occupied after the 1948 war with Arabs, which also made Palestinian resistance groups to come into existence with a determinant struggle to end a long-standing occupation.