Soldiers Shoot 4 Dead in Gaza

Israeli soldiers shot and killed four Palestinians in the Gaza Strip on Monday, at least two of them armed, and Israel eased a key travel restriction in the West Bank.

Meanwhile, Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat accepted an invitation from British Prime Minister Tony Blair to send a delegation to London in January to discuss Mideast peace prospects.

Neither side gave details of who would make up the delegation. Arafat has been confined to his West Bank headquarters for a year. Israel has said that he may leave but that he might not be allowed to return.

In the Gaza Strip, soldiers killed two Hamas members approaching a border fence. The militant group said the men had been trying to plant explosives to be used against tanks.

A third Palestinian was shot dead by soldiers when he went to check on songbirds he kept in cages near his home next to an army checkpoint in central Gaza, witnesses and relatives said.

Israeli military sources said gunmen had shot overnight at troops guarding the Jewish settlement of Neve Dekelim. They said soldiers returned fire, but they could not say whether the troops hit anyone.

In Rafah, at Gaza’s southern tip, a Palestinian was shot dead Monday night when he approached an army patrol, Palestinians said.

Israeli security sources said troops shot and killed a man running toward them in the dark. The soldiers believed he might have been carrying explosives and said they would wait until daybreak before fully examining the scene, the sources added.

Also in Rafah, Israeli tanks and bulldozers knocked down 16 shacks. Palestinians said more than 200 people were left homeless. The Israelis said the structures were empty and used by Palestinian gunmen for firing at Israeli positions.

In the West Bank, Israel announced it would ease travel restrictions and allow Palestinians to run buses between towns and cities, restoring service that has been cut off for more than two years. Palestinian bus companies said the service was to resume today.