NABLUS, April 14: Israeli troops shot dead a Palestinian gunman in a raid in a West Bank refugee camp on Thursday and a leading militant group vowed retaliation “like an earthquake”.

But Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades said it wanted to otherwise stick to a ceasefire, which militant groups agreed with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas last month to observe to the end of 2005 to give him a chance to talk peace with Israel.

The killing stoked Israeli-Palestinian tensions days after a Texas summit between Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and US President George Bush designed to provide impetus for Israel’s planned mid-year withdrawal from the Gaza Strip.—Reuters