Israeli soldiers have shot dead three Palestinians, including two alleged Hamas Islamic militants, in the Gaza Strip.
Palestinian witnesses said troops killed the two alleged Hamas members as they tried to pass through a security fence into Israel near the northern Gaza town of Beit Hanoun and killed the other Palestinian as he walked past an army checkpoint.
Israeli military sources claimed the third man may have been among a group of gunmen who shot at soldiers guarding a Jewish settlement in the central Gaza Strip.
Israeli-Palestinian violence has showed no sign of abating despite Washington's call for restraint as it seeks Arab backing for a possible war on Iraq. Hamas said yesterday it was not prepared to enter any dialogue aimed at stopping "resistance" against Israel.
On Sunday, Israel's cabinet decided to bar Palestinian President Yasser Arafat, a Muslim, from visiting Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus, for Christmas for a second year running.
Israeli officials accuse Mr Arafat of complicity in attacks on Israelis, an allegation the Palestinian leader denies. Israel said its forces would likely stay over the holiday in Bethlehem. The army reoccupied Bethlehem three weeks ago after 11 people were killed in a suicide attack on a Jerusalem bus.