Israeli Troops Shoot, Kill 3 Palestinian Teens

Three Palestinian teens were shot dead by Israeli troops Saturday in the southern Gaza Strip, ending weeks of calm and threatening a renewal of tit-for-tat violence.

The incident strained a nearly month-old agreement by Palestinian militant groups to observe a conditional truce for the rest of the year. Hamas representatives in Gaza promised to retaliate for the shooting, which occurred in the Rafah refugee camp, a zone of frequent clashes near the Egyptian border. Islamic Jihad leaders said the group would observe calm but weigh future moves.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas called the shooting a violation of the February truce between Israel and the Palestinian leadership.

Palestinian witnesses and officials said the boys -- ages 14, 15 and 16, hospital officials said -- were playing soccer near the border fence when they chased the ball and were struck by Israeli gunfire. Children often play near the fenced-off border.

Israeli military officials said the troops had opened fire after five youths were spotted crawling toward the border across a no-go zone. The three boys who were hit had ignored warning shots after they got up and ran toward the border, the army said.

Israeli military sources said the two others, who were arrested by Palestinian authorities, had told the authorities the group had been heading to Egypt to smuggle weapons into Gaza. Israel says Rafah is a hotbed for arms smuggling. A week earlier, Israeli soldiers arrested a group of Palestinian youths sneaking into Gaza in the same area with hundreds of rifles.

Within four hours of the shooting, Palestinian militants launched more than two dozen mortar rounds and rockets at Jewish settlements in southern Gaza. No injuries were reported. Palestinians said Israeli gunfire had wounded seven people in the city of Khan Yunis.

The teens’ shooting marked the region’s deadliest incident since a Feb. 25 bombing outside a Tel Aviv club that killed five Israelis.

Violence has all but ceased since Palestinian militants announced March 17 that they would hold their fire against Israel on a conditional basis.

That came after Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Abbas declared at a Feb. 8 meeting that each side would cease violence in an effort to kick-start the peace process, buoying hopes for an end to more than 4 1/2 years of bloodshed.

Tensions have risen in recent days over plans for a rally by Jewish hard-liners today on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem’s walled Old City. The demonstration was called to protest Sharon’s plan for an Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip during the summer.

The hilltop site, which is holy to Jews and Muslims, has been a tinderbox for violence. A visit in 2000 by Sharon, who was the opposition leader at the time, sparked rioting that triggered the current conflict.

Concerned about possible violence, Israeli officials have barred non-Muslims from visiting the site and announced a stepped-up police presence to prevent the rally.

Palestinian militant groups have threatened to resume attacks if the demonstration takes place at the site, which contains the Al Aqsa mosque complex. Thousands of Palestinians marched in the Gaza Strip on Friday to protest the planned Temple Mount gathering.

A night earlier, a Kassam rocket landed in the southern Israeli town of Sderot, frequently a target of attacks. No injuries were reported.

The teens’ shooting Saturday took place as Sharon prepared to visit President Bush at his Texas ranch. Sharon and Abbas want calm for Israel to carry out its planned withdrawal from all 21 Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip and four others in the northern West Bank.

Bush strongly supports the pullout plan as a way to renew peace efforts under terms of the U.S.-backed diplomatic plan known as the road map.

Confronting Bush and Sharon is a disagreement over Israel’s plan to expand Maale Adumim, a major settlement bloc near Jerusalem. The Bush administration insists that Israel freeze settlement expansion as part of its commitments under the road map. Israeli leaders consider Maale Adumim part of Israel.

Special correspondent Fayed abu Shammalah in Gaza City contributed to this report.