Israel 'probed Palestinian death'

Media and army inquiries have put troops' conduct under scrutiny

Israel's army has investigated the shooting of a Palestinian teenager in a field in the Gaza Strip earlier this year, an Israeli newspaper reports.

The father of the 16-year-old says his son died when soldiers marching past opened fire without provocation.

A decision in the case - one of several recent inquiries into army conduct - was still pending, an army official told Hebrew newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth.

"Deterrent" fire had been used to protect marchers in the area, he said.

'Seven bullet wounds'

Teenager Khaled Mahdi reportedly received gunshot wounds as a group of Israeli army recruits passed by, escorted by tanks to its base in Gaza.

An investigation into the death had been completed but a verdict had yet to be reached, army spokesman Capt Jacob Dallal told the Israeli newspaper.

He said the commander of the unit in question was being considered for promotion.

Mahdi was hit by seven Israeli bullets as he was worked in the field, his father has said.

"They were firing without any reason," he said. "I swear to God that they knew nothing was going on in the area."

Inquiries

Israeli army commanders have repeatedly said all soldiers receive special training in the ethics of combat.

The conduct of their troops has been the focus of several recent army inquiries and Israeli media reports.

On Tuesday, an elite Israeli army unit was suspended after reports that it killed an unarmed, injured Palestinian militant.

In other high-profile cases, soldiers have been accused of abusing the corpses of dead militants and of shooting Palestinian children.