MIDDLE EAST: An Israeli soldier who shot a British student in the head as he tried to protect Palestinian children, was jailed for eight years yesterday.
The sentence for Sgt Taysir Hayb (22) came after he was found guilty of the manslaughter of photography student Tom Hurndall (22) from London.
Mr Hurndall was visiting the Gaza Strip with the International Solidarity Movement, a pro-Palestinian pressure group, in April 2003, when he was shot.
The case went to court following pressure from Mr Hurndall's family, but yesterday his relatives said they were disappointed by the sentence.
Mr Hurndall was hit as he tried to help children walk past Israeli positions in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip.
He left his shelter and was approaching the children to lead them to safety when he was shot by Hayb, who was positioned in a watchtower.
Hayb, a Bedouin Arab from the Negev desert in southern Israel, was also charged with obstructing justice.