A Palestinian man has died of wounds sustained during heavy exchanges of fire between Israeli soldiers and Palestinian gunmen on Friday in the West Bank city of Hebron.
Mr Ahmed Faraj Alla (33) of Idna village, was unarmed and working at a cattle farm run by the Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas when he was shot and seriously wounded, family and Hamas officials said.
He was the third Palestinian to die as a result of Friday's fighting near Jewish settlements which are enclaves in the divided city.
Hamas claim Israeli officials asked them last week to move the farm because Palestinian gunmen were using it as a base for firing at Israeli soldiers. The officials said they took responsibility for the farm and, at Israel's request, put up lights as a protective measure.
Sheikh Abed al-Halik Natsche, the Hamas spokesman in Hebron, described as "lies" any suggestion that shots had been fired from the farm, saying the Israelis were making excuses for the killing.
"This is terror. The Israeli army in cold blood killed innocent people working on the farm which is the source of their living, and they shot them on purpose to send us a message to leave this place," he said.
An Israeli army spokeswoman said on Friday that soldiers had returned fire after coming under attack from Palestinian gunmen in Hebron, but had no information on Palestinian casualties.
Reuters