Israeli occupation soldiers shot dead a nine-year-old girl outside her home in the Gaza town of Khan Younis on Saturday, Palestinian security sources said. The violence in Gaza came a day after two Palestinian resistance men dressed in occupation army uniform shot dead four Israeli settlers in the internationally illegal Jewish settlement of Otniel near the West Bank city of Hebron. They were later shot and killed by Israeli occupation soldiers.

The resistance group Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for Friday's attack, saying it wanted to avenge Israel's killing of eight Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip on Wednesday and Thursday.

Two of the four dead Israeli settlers from Otniel were occupation army soldiers.

Palestinian resistance groups often target Jewish settlements in their fight for statehood..

In Khan Younis, nine-year-old Hanin Abu Suleiman was playing outside her home next to a cemetery lying between the Palestinian town and an adjacent internationally illegal Jewish settlement when she was shot in the head on Saturday, Palestinian witnesses said.

Palestinian security sources said Israeli occupation soldiers had fired from a watchtower in the settlement.

PHOTO CAPTION

A Hamas resistance man watches over tens of thousands of Palestinians at a rally in Gaza City, December 27, 2002. The flurry of Israeli occupation army operations on Thursday in the West Bank and Gaza Strip drew vows of revenge from Palestinian resistance groups on Friday. Later in the day, at least one Palestinian resistance man crept into an internationally illegal Jewish settlement near Hebron and opened fire, killing four people before drawing retaliatory gunfire which killed him.. Photo by Reuters
- Dec 27 2:16 PM