A Palestinian has been killed after Israeli soldiers opened fire from an observation post in the southern Gaza Strip not far from the border with Egypt, Palestinian medical sources say.

Witnesses said the victim, unarmed, was shot outside his home as he was preparing to get married on Monday.

An Israeli military spokeswoman said the army was checking the report.

His death brought the total toll to 4811 since the second Palestinian intifada began in September 2000, according to an AFP count. The vast majority of the casualties have been Palestinians.

Israeli cabinet to vote on evacuations

The Israeli cabinet is expected to give the final go-ahead for the evacuation of a first batch of Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip.

There was no confirmation from Ariel Sharon's office which settlements would be voted on at the weekly cabinet session, but an official on Sunday said they would probably be the three most isolated: Netzarim, Morag and Kfar Darom.

Although the pullout operation has been approved by the cabinet and parliament, ministers agreed in June 2004 that they would cast a final vote before beginning to evacuate any settlement.

Differences within the cabinet over the pullout have reshaped Israel's political landscape, but Sharon is widely expected to obtain a majority on all the votes.

The order in which the settlements will go through the cabinet will not necessarily be the pullout order, which is being kept secret until the last moment for security reasons.

Israelis shot, wounded

Also on Sunday, two Israelis, including a 10-year-old boy, were wounded in a drive-by shooting attack north of the West Bank city of Ram Allah, Israeli medical sources said.

Willing participants

Meanwhile, Defence Minister Shaul Mofaz has said about two-thirds of the Jewish settlers scheduled for evacuation from the Gaza Strip and isolated northern West Bank will obey orders to leave their homes.

Few settlers have relocated ahead of the evacuation deadline, but Mofaz predicted a majority would rush to leave from 15 to 17 August before being forcibly removed.

PHOTO CAPTION

Yehya Abu Taha, who was killed by Israeli troops, during his funeral at the Rafah refugee camp, southern Gaza Strip, July 24,2005. (Reuters)