Swiss protest to Israel army

Large parts of Gaza are under Israeli occupation

Switzerland has formally protested to Israel about an incident in the Gaza Strip on Monday in which Israeli soldiers reportedly fired at the car of a Swiss diplomat.

A spokeswoman at the Swiss foreign ministry in Bern said a letter of protest had been sent to the Israeli government calling for a thorough investigation and stressing the absolute obligation for diplomatic convoys to be respected.

Diplomats in Jerusalem say two bullets hit the windscreen of the Swiss consulate's armoured car as the convoy, carrying representatives of several European countries, waited to cross a checkpoint between the Gaza Strip and Israel.

No one was hurt in the shooting. Diplomatic sources were quoted as saying that members of the convoy - which included diplomats from Switzerland, Britain, Greece, Sweden, and Austria - were badly shaken by the incident.

The Israeli army said a bullet fired by troops had unintentionally hit the diplomatic vehicle in the Gaza Strip on Monday and that it regretted the incident.

The Israeli army initially said its forces had fired warning shots at a "threatening" Palestinian crowd at the checkpoint when a bullet "ricocheted and inadvertently hit the vehicle window" of the diplomatic car.

"The Israeli army expresses its sorrow over the incident and stressed that the forces in the area are doing everything possible to avoid harming civilians," an army spokesman said.