Israeli shell attack on shoppers 'a mistake'

Israel has admitted its forces made a mistake in firing tank shells on shoppers violating a curfew in Jenin.

Three children and a teacher were killed in the attack in the northern West Bank city.

False rumours of a brief break in the three-day-old curfew had sent residents rushing to the market to replenish supplies.

Several residents said they had heard about the break by word of mouth, not from army announcements.

An army spokesman said an initial inquiry "indicates that the force erred in its action" and that an investigation is continuing.

The army says soldiers conducting house-to-house searches for an explosives laboratory spotted a group of Palestinians who had broken the curfew heading towards them. The troops fired two tank shells to deter them, the army said.

Jenin hospitals have identified the dead as Ahmed Ghazawi, six, and his 12-year-old brother Jamil, as well as Sajedah Famahwi, six, and Helal Shetta, a school teacher who was about 50.

Yusef Ghazawi, father of Ahmed and Jamil, said his children went outside to ride their bicycles and were near his home: "I heard an explosion. I didn't think that it was my children and I didn't go out immediately."

About 10 minutes later, he went outside and was told his children were hurt. "I went to the hospital and was told they were killed," said Mr Ghazawi.

Meanwhile, the government is reportedly looking into the legality of exiling Palestinian militants, families of suicide bombers and members of the Palestinian leadership from the West Bank to the Gaza Strip.