GAZA (IslamOnline) - Israeli troops shot dead four Palestinians in Gaza and assassinated another in Hebron on Wednesday in one of the worst days of clashes between Palestinian demonstrators and the Israeli army since violence erupted in September.
Israeli forces shot a member of the Islamic resistance movement Hamas three times in the chest, killing him, as he stood outside his shop in the West Bank city of Hebron, news agencies quoted eyewitnesses and hospital officials as saying.
Israelis and Palestinians also traded blame for the start of a seven-hour gun battle near Khan Younis in Gaza that led to the death of four Palestinians throwing stones at Israeli soldiers.
Palestinians said the Israelis were trying to remove a sand block erected to help protect Palestinians against regular Israeli shooting. The Palestinians said the embankment was within Palestinian controlled areas.
The Israelis said they were on a mission to destroy the embankment, which Palestinians used as cover to shoot at a nearby settlement.
Wednesday’s bloody clashes, described by both sides as the worst in weeks, raised the death toll of violence to more than 320, mostly Palestinian civilians, since clashes broke out in September after a provocative visit by Israeli hardline Likud leader Ariel Sharon to a holy Muslim site.
Palestinian Authority officials said at least 33 people were also injured, including three children.
The Israeli army said it fired two tank shells in the battle which Palestinian witnesses said set fire to several buildings. The BBC reported that the Israelis used other heavy weapons during the battle as well.
The tank barrages set several buildings ablaze and convinced dozens of Palestinians to pack their belongings and move to safer locations.
Wednesday's violence casts a shadow on the possible resumption of peace talks brokered by the United States. Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat recently met with U.S. Middle East special envoy Denis Ross after which Ross reportedly said he felt a sense of urgency for peace between Israelis and Palestinians.
Political analysts believe Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak's only survival kit for the February election is peace with the Palestinians, as hardline Likud leaders seem to be gaining popularity inside the Jewish state. The Israelis have, however, not reported any change in current policy or behavior.
