Palestinian teen killed in abandoned Gaza settlement

A Palestinian teenager was shot dead Tuesday night as hundreds of youths, armed with stones, and Israeli soldiers clashed, stirring up tensions ahead of Israel's withdrawal from Gaza.

A Palestinian teenager was shot dead Tuesday night as hundreds of youths, armed with stones, and Israeli soldiers clashed, stirring up tensions ahead of Israel's withdrawal from Gaza.

As fighting flared, Israeli Defence Minister Shaul Mofaz told the army to show no pity towards Palestinians at checkpoints in the occupied West Bank.

It was the third day of violence in the southern Gaza Strip when Nimr Saduni, 17, and three friends charged into the abandoned Ganeit Tal settlement following two hours of confrontation with the Israeli army and Palestinian security forces.

Hundreds of teenagers had burnt grass on the dunes and forced one Israeli tank to retreat under a hail of debris before the fatal shooting.

Saduni's funeral on Wednesday could easily spark new unrest, with angry teenagers storming the edge of the settlements and egging Israeli and Palestinian forces to fight back, the AFP reports.