Israeli troops kill 21-year old Palestinian on Gaza border

Relatives of Palestinian man Mohammed Shalha mourn during his funeral in Beit Lahiya on the northern Gaza Strip April 5.(Reuters)

A spokesman for medical services in Gaza named the dead youth as Mohammed Shalha, 21, according to an identification document he was carrying and said no weapon had been found at the scene.

Israeli soldiers on the besieged Gaza Strip border shot and killed a resident on Tuesday afternoon, with witnesses saying two others were injured in the artillery firing.

Witnesses told Palestinian news agency, the group of men were collecting cement particles for use in construction aggregates near the Erez crossing in the northern Gaza Strip.

An Israeli military spokeswoman said soldiers had identified one man as "armed", and "fired toward him, identifying a direct hit."

The incident, which occurred at approximately 10 a.m., was confirmed by medics, who were called by witnesses in the Al-Bura area in Beit Lahiya. Ambulance crews said one dead body was retrieved.

Reuters news agency said, a spokesman for medical services in Gaza named the dead youth as Mohammed Shalha, 21, according to an identification document he was carrying and said no weapon had been found at the scene.

Agencies