War claims Israeli author's son

David Grossman's son Uri was killed in fighting on 12 August

The son of David Grossman, a prominent Israeli author and peace activist, has been killed fighting in Lebanon.

Staff Sergeant Uri Grossman, 20, was killed in a missile strike on Saturday, days after his father made an international appeal for peace.

Last Thursday, Mr Grossman gave a joint news conference with fellow writers Amos Oz and A B Yehoshua, calling on the government to stop fighting.

The group urged Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to seek a diplomatic solution.

Uri Grossman, a tank commander, was one of 24 Israeli defence force soldiers killed in fierce fighting against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon on Saturday.

The family said in a statement that Uri had planned to travel and study theatre in November once he had served his time in the military.

Mr Grossman, 52, has written extensively on Israeli-Palestinian relations, as well as books for children. His work has been published in at least 20 languages.

The Haaretz website said the writer had spent the early part of the war reading books to children in bomb shelters in northern Israel.