Israeli soldiers shoot 10-year-old

Israeli troops killed three Palestinian gunmen and a 10-year-old boy in the Gaza Strip, security officials said today.

The boy, Mahmoud Kayed, was shot east of Gaza City as he was trapping birds near the border fence with Israel, hospital officials said. A 12-year-old companion was wounded in the leg.

Palestinian security officials said the children came under fire from a tank. Soldiers fired from a mounted machine gun and launched a tank shell, the officials said.

Doctors said the boy was killed by two bullets.

The Israeli army said soldiers spotted three people in a restricted area along the fence, where militants have repeatedly tried to infiltrate. The three carried equipment the soldiers assumed was a bomb. Troops opened fire and hit one of the three, the army said.

Overnight, Israeli soldiers killed three Palestinian gunmen in two clashes in Gaza. The Israeli army confirmed the two incidents, but had no details on Palestinian casualties.

In the West Bank town of Jenin, meanwhile, the army surrounded a house where a wanted militant was believed to be hiding. Tanks surrounded the house as troops waited for the suspect to come out. The army said the neighbourhood was under curfew.

Elsewhere in the West Bank, the army removed a roadblock west of Ramallah, allowing traffic to pass on the road for the first time in more than a year and half.

The massive barrier at Ein Arik was built after Palestinian gunmen killed six soldiers guarding the checkpoint in February 2002. At least three other roadblocks remain around Ramallah.

Meanwhile, polls indicated Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s approval rating was dropping, in part because of the prolonged deadlock in peace efforts.

A proposed prisoner exchange with the Lebanese guerrilla group Hezbollah is also hurting the prime minister, commentators wrote. Sharon will take the proposed deal to his Cabinet on Sunday, but approval is not assured, with some ministers opposed and others undecided.

In the West Bank, a dispute between Yasser Arafat and Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia over control of security forces remained unresolved, despite a series of stormy meetings in recent days. The disagreement is preventing the formation of a new Palestinian government, holding up a renewal of high-level talks with Israel and jeopardising a conference of international donors.

A poll indicating a further drop in Sharon’s popularity was published in the Maariv daily. It said just 34% of respondents were pleased with Sharon’s performance, compared 40% in a survey two weeks ago.