Israeli troops kill two militants

A man injured by Israeli fire in Gaza is brought to a hospital

Two Palestinian militants have been killed as they tried to attack an Israeli army post in the Gaza Strip.

The men were shot dead after they threw grenades and opened fire on soldiers near the Jewish settlement of Netzarim.

Crowds gathered in the southern Gaza area of Rafah on Monday for the funeral of Samir Hijazi, a doctor killed by Israeli tank fire near his home.

Meanwhile, a four-year-old Rafah girl is in hospital after being struck by an Israeli bullet on Saturday.

A hospital official told the BBC News website Shayma Abu Shammala is in a "critical condition" with a bullet wound to her head.

Israeli troops based in Rafah frequently fight Palestinian militants they accuse of smuggling weapons across the nearby border with Egypt.

Loudspeaker identification

The doctor killed in Rafah on Sunday is said to have been playing cards with a friend when he was struck by shrapnel from an Israeli tank round.

Israeli tanks fired several rounds at a group of suspected militants reportedly moving along the border with Egypt, killing one of them.

The two men killed in Monday's attack on an army post were identified on loudspeakers in Gaza City as militants linked to Hamas and the armed wing of Popular Resistance.

Israel's army confirmed it had killed the two.

Palestinians are set to elect a new leader in January, following the death of veteran figurehead, Yasser Arafat, earlier this month.

Israel's Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has spoken of a fresh chance for peace following Arafat's death.

He is battling internal opposition to a planned withdrawal of soldiers and settlers from Gaza.