Zeev's Turnips Talk Politics (ZTTP)

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Israeli Soldiers Kill Palestinian in Gaza
Israeli Soldiers Kill Palestinian Teenager in Gaza, Raising Tensions Ahead of Christmas Holiday

http://abcnews.go.com/wire/World/ap20021224_703.html

The Associated Press

JERUSALEM Dec. 24 —
Israeli soldiers killed a Palestinian teenager in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, raising tensions as Christians prepared for the Christmas holiday in Israeli-occupied Bethlehem and other West Bank towns.

In the Gaza Strip, Israeli soldiers fired a tank shell at a group of Palestinians between the Karni and Erez crossings with Israel, killing one young man and wounding three others, Palestinian hospital officials said. Further information on the victims was not immediately available.

The army said it was checking the report.

Earlier, Israeli soldiers blew up a Gaza Strip house the army said contained a tunnel used by militants to smuggle weapons from Egypt. Palestinian gunmen fired on the troops as they demolished several other abandoned buildings along the Gaza-Egypt border, the army said.

Troops pulled back to the outskirts of Bethlehem, where Christians believe Jesus was born, but the Israeli army presence was felt in the small town. There were no Christmas decorations a form of protest against the Israeli occupation.

Palestinian Christians comprise about half of Bethlehem's 27,000 people. This will be the first year since 1944 that they celebrate Christmas under Israeli occupation, and many said they could not recall a less festive occasion.

"People are not exchanging gifts as usual, especially kids are not getting what they are expecting from Santa," said Raed Zarrouk, 26. "(It's) the worst Christmas I ever had in my whole life."