An Israeli man and a Palestinian teenager have been killed in separate incidents in the Middle East. Palestinian gunmen shot and killed an Israeli clothing merchant who stopped his car near the entrance to a West Bank village today. An armed group linked to Yasser Arafat's Fatah faction claimed responsibility for the attack.
In a separate incident, Israeli tanks shelled a Palestinian security post at the entrance of the West Bank City of Ramallah. A 14-year-old boy was killed in the attack.
Earlier, Israeli warplanes attacked Palestinian posts in the West Bank and Gaza Strip in retaliation for the deaths of five Israelis yesterday. Palestinian officials said fighter jets fired two missiles at police headquarters in Gaza City, injuring three policeman and causing heavy damage.
The planes also hit a military intelligence headquarters south of the city, and another police base near the West Bank city of Nablus. Palestinian officials described the air strikes as a very grave aggression. The Israelis who died yesterday were three soldiers and two Jewish settlers who were attacked by Palestinian gunmen.
At least 11 people have been killed in a weekend of tit-for-tat violence which further distanced the prospect of truce talks to end the 11-month-old Palestinian uprising against Israeli occupation. Over 700 people have been killed since September.
