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Israeli soldiers shot and killed a Palestinian man who approached the fence of a Jewish settlement in the Gaza Strip overnight, the military said Monday.

Soldiers were patrolling the fence of the Jewish settlement of Netzarim in Gaza overnight when they saw two figures, the military said. They fired on the men and saw that one had been shot.

During searches early Monday, troops found the body of a Palestinian about 70 yards from the Jewish settlement of Netzarim, the military said. He was armed with a knife.

Armed Palestinians repeatedly have infiltrated Jewish settlements in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, attacking settlers and soldiers they say are legitimate targets in their struggle for independence.

Meanwhile, in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Issawiya, Israeli troops demolished four houses and Palestinians clashed with police who were on hand to make sure the demolitions went ahead.

One resident barricaded himself in his house and threatened to blow himself up, police said. The man was removed by force.

Three activists from the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions also locked themselves in a house. One was arrested, police said. No injuries were reported.

Twenty people were left homeless, a committee spokesman said.

Jerusalem officials said two of the houses were built illegally on public land, while the other two were built without permission. Palestinians have accused Israel of being stingy with building permits, saying it is trying to restrict Palestinian growth in Jerusalem.

Also Monday, in the West Bank city of Tulkarem, troops arrested Maslama Thabet, a member of the Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, a militia linked to Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's Fatah organization, Palestinian and Israeli sources said.

Israel accuses Thabet of killing two Israeli restaurant owners who entered Tulkarem at the beginning of the Palestinian uprising 30 months ago. Thabet admitted to the killing in an interview in April 2001 and said it was revenge for the killing of his uncle, Thabet Thabet, in 2000.

Thabet Thabet, the Fatah leader in Tulkarem, was slain by Israeli troops.

photo credit and caption:

Israeli soldiers take cover behind a wall, during an operation in which army forces performed house searches for Palestinian militants wanted by Israel, in Salem near the West Bank town of Nablus, Monday, April 7, 2003. (AP Photo/Nasser Ishtayeh)

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