Sniper kills Palestinian at Gaza settlement

A sniper shot and killed a Palestinian farm worker in the hothouse of a Jewish settlement in the Gaza Strip this morning.

A sniper shot and killed a Palestinian farm worker in the hothouse of a Jewish settlement in the Gaza Strip this morning.

An army spokeswoman said the worker died of his wounds as he was being taken to a hospital.

A settler spokesman said the labourer, who was working at Peat Sadeh in the southern Gaza Strip, had been shot by a gunman from the Palestinian town of Rafah.

The attack came against the backdrop of a massive Israeli offensive into the northern Gaza Strip to try to stop militant rocket fire. At least 79 Palestinians have been killed. Three Israelis have also died.

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Hundreds of Palestinians work in settlements in the occupied Gaza Strip, which Prime Minister Ariel Sharon plans to evacuate next year.

About 8,000 settlers live in Gaza among 1.3 million Palestinians.