December 13, 2002	Friday	Shawwal 8, 1423

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TEL AVIV, Dec 12: Two Israeli soldiers were killed on Thursday by Palestinian gunfire as they guarded a wildcat settlement in the flashpoint West Bank city of Al Khalil.

The male and female soldier were struck down as they guarded a rogue settlement outpost erected not far from the spot of a sniper attack that killed 12 Israelis on Nov 15.

Earlier, Israeli troops shot dead six Palestinians, including five in a single incident, in the Gaza Strip.

The identities of the dead men were not yet known, but Palestinian medical sources in Gaza City said the Israeli army had contacted them to collect the five bodies.

The Israeli army said in a statement it had shot dead five men spotted crawling towards a no-go area near the Karni crossing point, between the Gaza Strip and Israel.

It did not specify whether the men were armed, but said it had earlier received information that a group of Palestinian militants was planning to infiltrate.

It said the bodies were discovered in the morning with ladders next to them.

A top aide to Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, Nabil Abu Rudeina denounced the shooting as “a crime”.

He was referring to the meeting planned in Washington next week of top US, UN, EU and Russian officials, during which a Middle East peace plan they have been working on is due to be finalized.—Reuters