Palestinians urge return of US envoy

The Palestinian Authority has called for a quick return to the region by the United States' envoy, Anthony Zinni.

A cabinet meeting chaired by Yasser Arafat in the West Bank town of Ramallah appealed to Mr Zinni to resume his efforts to secure a ceasefire and a return to peace talks.

Mr Zinni returned to Washington earlier this month after his mediation efforts failed to halt the violence.

In the latest incident, the Israeli army killed a suspected Palestinian suicide bomber in the Gaza Strip on Friday.

The Palestinian militant group, Islamic Jihad, said the man was one of its members.

It said he was shot dead after ambushing Israeli forces and Jewish settlers.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service