GAZA CITY, Aug 7: Troops shot dead an unarmed Palestinian teenager close to the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel early on Saturday, claiming he had managed to cut through the border fence with the intention of carrying out an attack.

The youth, who was named as 16-year-old Ahmad al-Qiyq, was shot dead close to the Sufa border crossing in the south-eastern corner of the Gaza Strip, Palestinian hospital sources said.

An army spokeswoman claimed the youngster was shot on the Israeli side of the border after he and another Palestinian had cut through the fence.

"The force spotted four suspicious Palestinians near the security fence in Sufa in an area which is off-limits to non-military personnel," she said.-AFP