Israeli, two Palestinians killed; mass funerals for four others

RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) - An Israeli motorist was killed in a drive-by shooting Thursday in the West Bank, a rescue team said, after two Palestinians died in clashes in the West Bank and Gaza.

The Israeli was shot from a moving vehicle on a main West Bank road north of Jerusalem, the military said. The shooting took place near the settlement of Givat Zeev, north of Jerusalem, on a main highway. The motorist, identified as Eliahu Cohen, 30, from the Israeli town of Modiin, died at the scene. Drive-by shootings are a frequent Palestinian method of attack.

Earlier Thursday, two Palestinians were killed and thousands marched in funeral processions for four other Palestinians, including a 12-year-old boy, who were slain in violence the day before.

The turmoil in the West Bank and Gaza Strip came as Israeli and Palestinian delegations were in Washington for a third day of consultations aimed at restarting peace negotiations.

Also in Gaza, a group of diplomats touring the area had to scurry for cover when an exchange of gunfire erupted, said Reinhard Wiemer, spokesman for the German Embassy. The fire was not directed at the diplomats, and no one was hurt in the incident near Khan Yunis, he said.

A Palestinian, Ahed Marish, 18, was hit by gunfire from an Israeli tank on Thursday as he was walking to his home near the Karni crossing between Israel and the Gaza Strip, Palestinians said. Ambulance drivers said the body was badly mutilated by heavy-caliber bullets.

The Israeli military said that a preliminary investigation showed that no Israeli forces fired at Palestinians in the Karni area Thursday, but the investigation continues.

In the West Bank, Ahmed Awad, 41, was killed by Israeli gunfire in a clash near the town of Tulkarem. The Israeli military said Palestinians fired at an army vehicle, and soldiers fired back. Palestinians who brought the body to a local clinic said Awad was in his house when he was shot.

At the Rafah refugee camp in the southern tip of Gaza, masked gunmen fired into the air as a funeral procession carried four flag-draped coffins through the streets.

One mourner shouted a warning to Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak into a loudspeaker, ''Barak, know that our bullets will take revenge for all the bloodshed!''

The Israeli-Palestinian fighting, which broke out at the end of September, has taken the lives of 339 people, most of them Palestinians.

In less than three months, the death toll has surpassed the 331 killed during the entire first year of the previous 1987-1993 Palestinian uprising.

The higher death toll reflects Palestinian gunfire and a heavier Israeli response, including tanks and attack helicopters. In the first uprising, Palestinians rarely opened fire, attacking Israeli soldiers with rocks and bottles. The Israelis responded with tear gas and rifle fire.

Near the West Bank town of Ramallah, four Israeli soldiers were hurt when a Palestinian rammed his truck into them near a military checkpoint, the army said. Soldiers shot at the truck and captured the driver, who suffered wounds to the hand, arm and leg, a hospital said.

Among the mourners at the Rafah funeral was the mother of 12-year-old Hani al-Sofi, who wept as she carried a small framed black-and-white photo of him.

''His dream was to become a good man who could serve his people,'' she said, then broke off, unable to speak through her sobs.