A Palestinian civilian was killed by Israeli tank fire in the town of Deir el-Balah in the Gaza Strip, a Palestinian security source said.
Mohsen al-Atrash, 23, was unarmed when he was killed by a tank shell near the central Gaza Strip Jewish settlement of Kfar Darom, the source told AFP.
An Israeli army spokesman said soldiers had opened fire after a mortar round fired by Palestinians struck near the settlement without causing any damage.
Wednesday morning, Israeli troops backed by four tanks and an armored bulldozer, pushed 200 meters into a Palestinian controlled part of the southern Gaza Strip and destroyed three houses, Palestinian security sources said.
The raid into Rafah came the morning after two Palestinians were slightly wounded by Israeli gunfire in the same area, near the border with Egypt. The raid ended around after around five hours. Israeli forces destroyed three Palestinian houses and damaged several others, Palestinian sources said.
An Israeli army spokesman reported Palestinian gunfire against the Jewish settlement of Neve Dekalim near Rafah. No one was wounded, he said. An Israeli military source also said two mortar bombs were fired late Tuesday against at the southern Gaza Strip Jewish settlement block of Gush Katif, where a house was damaged.
At the Mawasi checkpoint near Rafah, three Palestinian women were also injured by Israelis who fired live rounds at them as they tried to reach their homes in the Mawasi enclave, under curfew since Sunday when a Jewish settler was killed there by a Palestinian employee. The women were not seriously injured, medics said.
In another incident in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli army said it had destroyed a tunnel in Rafah that was connected with the Egyptian side of the border. The tunnel, whose entrance was camouflaged in the shower of a home, had both telephone and electricity cables running along.
Separately, a Palestinian was shot and seriously wounded after Israeli troops, backed by tanks, pushed several hundred metres into the Palestinian-controlled center of Hebron in the West Bank, a hospital source said. Civilian Ashraf Khatib, 34, was shot in the chest during gunfire before the Israeli troops pulled out.
An Israeli army spokesman denied that there had been an incursion, saying troops had opened fire with light arms in response to shooting at Jewish homes.
Arabs marked Wednesday al-Nakba - creation of the state of Israel 54 years ago — a day mourned as catastrophic in the Arab world.
In the Palestinian territories, al-Nakba marches drew small crowds, with many Palestinians saying they were preoccupied with day-to-day difficulties. Similarly subdued demonstrations were held across the region.
Lebanon and Syria, home to many Palestinian refugees, witnessed peaceful sit-ins and the lighting of candles on Palestinian graves. Louder but peaceful demonstrations were held in Jordan and Egypt.
Thousands of police blocked streets in downtown Cairo, disrupting a rally planned by the leftist Tagammu political party to commemorate this day.
In Jordan, more than 1,000 people took to the streets to chant "death to Israel" and urge "jihad," or holy war, against Israel. The demonstrators, who marched from the Professional Associations building to U.N. offices, also praised Osama bin Laden, shouting "Beloved Bin Laden, strike at Tel Aviv." (Albawaba.com)
