Israeli soldiers shot dead a Palestinian man in Bethlehem today and five Israeli youths were wounded in a Palestinian mortar attack in Gaza, dampening diplomatic efforts to end seven months of bloodshed.
Palestinian hospital officials said Israeli soldiers killed a 34-year-old Palestinian and wounded his five-year-old son and a relative as they drove a car to the Aida refugee camp on the outskirts of the West Bank city of Bethlehem.
The Israeli army said troops guarding Rachel's Tomb at the entrance to Bethlehem fired back after Palestinian gunmen opened fire.
It said an off-and-on gun battle had taken place in the area at the time the man was reported killed. Palestinians said the area was quiet.
The man's death brings the toll to at least 394 Palestinians, 13 Israeli Arabs and 74 Israelis killed since a Palestinian revolt erupted in September after peace talks stalled.
Several hours earlier, five Israeli teenagers were wounded, one seriously, when Palestinian mortar rounds hit a youth centre at a Jewish settlement in the southern Gaza Strip.
It was the third mortar attack of Jewish settlements in Gaza in 24 hours and prompted Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to accuse the Palestinian Authority of being actively involved in a spate of mortar strikes in recent weeks.
The violence occurred on the eve of Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres's visit to Egypt and Jordan tomorrow to discuss an Arab proposal aimed at ending seven months of fighting.
"Israel views these attacks with severity and holds the Palestinian Authority directly responsible for them," Sharon's office said in a statement.