Israeli shot dead in West Bank

Earlier Israeli tanks entered the southern Gaza town of Beit Hanoun

An Israeli man has been shot dead and his wife seriously wounded by Palestinian gunmen as they drove on a road north of the West Bank town of Ramallah, Israeli officials say.

The road is often used by Israeli settlers, who have been the targets of repeated attacks by Palestinian militants.

The attack occurred only hours after a missile strike by the Israeli air force killed a member of the Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza.

Hamdi Kalakh was an active member in the group's military wing responsible for rocket attacks on Israel, Hamas said in a statement.

There have also been reports of fierce street battles between Palestinian gunmen and Israeli troops north of Ramallah, in Jenin.

Israel says it will continue to take action against Hamas while the militant group has vowed to avenge Kalakh's death.

Rocket attack

Kalakh was hit by a missile fired from an Apache helicopter gunship as he was riding a donkey cart in the southern Gaza town of Khan Younis. Three other people were injured in the attack.

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His killing came hours after a makeshift Qassam rocket fired from Gaza landed in the southern Israeli town of Ashkelon; no-one was injured by the rocket.

Israeli armed vehicles have moved back into northern Gaza to clear vegetation from the area the rocket was fired, to prevent militants from taking cover.

The Israeli army reimposed two roadblocks on the main highway through the Gaza Strip on Friday, stopping the movement of all traffic, Palestinian security sources said.

Hamas had earlier rejected a call by Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat for militant groups to renew the truce they abandoned last week.

Hamas and Islamic Jihad both called off a seven-week-old truce last week after Israel killed Hamas co-founder Ismail Abu Shanab in retaliation for a suicide attack on a Jerusalem bus that left 21 people dead.