Israeli forces have killed four Palestinians, including a six-year old boy, in a major raid on the West Bank. The boy died when he was shot in the head by Israeli troops.
An Israeli army spokesman said troops killed three militants he claimed had opened fire at them and arrested more than 30 wanted members of Islamist group Hamas in a house-by-house search.
Palestinian medics said the boy died after being shot in the head by Israeli troops around midday in a Ramallah refugee camp. Military sources said soldiers had clashed with stone-throwers near the site and the shooting was under investigation.
Israel claimed the Ramallah raid aimed to prevent further attacks on Israelis and again accused President Yasser Arafat's Palestinian Authority of failing to rein in militants.
Israeli forces blew up one building they said was a weapons factory, and bulldozed another for undetermined reasons. Palestinian officials said such raids risked stifling peacemaking efforts as they only provoked militants to hit back.
Violence has tailed off since October, but Israel still cites frequent intelligence alerts of planned militant attacks for this trend.