Israeli soldiers shot dead a Palestinian gunman in the divided West Bank city of Hebron today, the Israeli army said.
Mr Shaker Hassouni, 22, was shot dead in a gun battle after a hand grenade was thrown at the soldiers who had entered a Palestinian-controlled area of the city, Palestinian witnesses said.
The witnesses also claimed Israeli soldiers shot and wounded five other Palestinians with rubber-coated metal bullets during the clash.
Mr Hassouni had been shot once in the jaw and several times in the chest. An army spokeswoman said he had a gun in his hand when he was killed. Witnesses said Jewish settlers had given soldiers sweets after the killing.
The incident raised the number of dead in 15 weeks of bloodshed to at least 307 Palestinians, 13 Israeli Arabs and 43 other Israelis.
About 400 militant Jewish settlers live among more than 120,000 Palestinians in Hebron.
Reuters