JERUSALEM – Israeli troops in Gaza City opened fire yesterday on a group of Hamas members laying explosives along a road, in a shootout that left two members of the militant group and a bystander dead.
One of those killed was a top commander, authorities said.
Meanwhile, in a separate incident, a Palestinian teenager was shot and killed during a West Bank street protest that turned violent. Israeli troops were patrolling the town of Tulkarem when they encountered a mob of stone-throwing youths.
Army officials said the soldiers opened fire after a fire bomb was hurled from the crowd.
The bystander, a 26-year-old Palestinian, was killed as she tried to take casualties to a nearby hospital in her car.
Authorities said the Gaza battle began when soldiers discovered members of the militant group laying explosives. Three days earlier, a remote-controlled bomb exploded under one of the vans in a three-vehicle convoy traveling through Gaza, killing three American security guards and wounding a fourth.
An FBI security team is working with Palestinian security officials to hunt down those behind the deadly convoy attack.
No group has taken responsibility for the bomb.
Witnesses in the crowd said the woman was struck by shrapnel from a tank round. American officials said no tank rounds were fired during the clash.