Israeli soldiers shot and killed a Palestinian teenager in a confrontation with stone-throwing protesters today in the occupied West Bank, Palestinian medics said.
First-aid workers said soldiers opened fire killing Izzedin al-Jamal, 14, with a bullet to the chest.
The Israeli army had no comment on the incident in Hebron, where its troops defend a tiny Jewish enclave wedged inside the second largest Palestinian city in the territory Israel captured in a 1967 war.
Protest in Hebron has become a weekly occurrence since a war in Gaza last month in which 1,300 Palestinians and 13 Israelis were killed.
Hours earlier, Gaza militants fired three rockets at Israel, causing no damage or injury, an Israeli military spokeswoman said.
The rocket shootings occurred alongside reports that a longer-term, Egyptian-mediated ceasefire was expected in the next few days to cement a January 18th truce that ended an Israeli offensive in Hamas-ruled Gaza last month.
There were no immediate claims of responsibility for the rockets, which struck near the Israeli town of Sderot. Rocket fire has continued sporadically since a 22-day war Israel launched on December 27th, to stop militants targeting its territory.
Hamas official Taher al-Nono said last night that a truce "is expected within three days" to ensure an end to cross-border violence and to reopen crossings between Israel and the blockaded coastal territory. Israel has not commented.
Reuters