Israeli Troops Kill Palestinian in Gaza Unrest

Israeli troops shot a Palestinian man to death and Palestinians killed a suspected informer Saturday, capping the most violent weekend in the occupied Gaza Strip since more than 400 Palestinians were deported in December.

Ashraf Zayyid, 19, was killed when troops used live fire against rioters in Jabaliya refugee camp, army and Arab reports said.

An army spokeswoman, who cannot be identified according to regulations, said live fire was used because the rioters threw iron bars and bricks as well as stones.

Zayyid was shot outside the house of a man killed in Friday’s clashes, which left five Palestinians dead.

The army took responsibility for three of Friday’s shootings but said the circumstances of the other two deaths were unclear because rioters had been returning live fire.

The weekend’s bloodshed was the worst since Dec. 19, when six Palestinians died in clashes with troops following the deportation of 413 Palestinians two days earlier.

Zayyid’s death brings to 1,031 the number of Arabs killed in clashes with Israelis since the Palestinian uprising began in December, 1987.

In the Gaza town of Rafah on Saturday, masked Palestinians shot a 22-year-old man dead and dumped his body into a gutter, Arab reports said. Residents said the man was known as a collaborator with Israel.

His death brings to 696 the number of Palestinians killed in the past five years by fellow Arabs, most as suspected collaborators with Israel, prostitutes or drug dealers. A total of 116 Israelis also have died in the violence.