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Palestinian Killed, 19 Wounded in Clashes in Gaza
A Palestinian was shot dead and 19 others were wounded on Tuesday by Israeli soldiers near the Salem cross-roads in the Gaza Strip.
The Palestinian young man, Fahim Abu Amunah, 21, died instantly after he was hit in the head by a live bullet when he was throwing stones atop a building at the cross-roads.
He was among a group of youths hurling stones at Israeli soldiers who responded by opening fire on the demonstrators at the cross-roads just about two kilometers to the Jewish Netzarim settlement in the west.
It was the first death reported following an agreement between Israel and the Palestinians for a ceasefire Monday night in a bid to curb the violent clashes erupted after Israeli opposition leader Ariel Sharon made the provocative visit to the Islamic holy site of Al Aqsa Mosque compound last Thursday.
About 56 people have been killed and 1,000 more wounded in clashes in Jerusalem, Gaza, the West Bank and northern Israeli towns.
Salem area has been the flashpoint for the violent clashes in Gaza. Two of the buildings at the cross-roads were almost destroyed by rockets fired by Israeli soldiers during previous clashes. Palestinians took them as shelters in Tuesday's protest.
Palestinian police have blocked the way leading the area, banning traffic and people from crossing.
There have been also reports of clashes in Hebron and East Jerusalem, but no details are available here.
Meanwhile, the head of Palestinian preventative security in the Gaza Strip, Mohammed Dahlan, accused Israel on Tuesday of trickery over its "withdrawal" of forces from the occupied territories as part of a ceasefire accord.
"What has happened today was just a tricky withdrawal to deceive international public opinion," Dahlan said.
"To withdraw a hundred metres (yards) here or there is not a real withdrawal but an attempt to create an impression that the situation calmed down," he charged.
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