Israeli forces shot and killed a Palestinian gunman in a West Bank refugee camp, early Thursday. The clash was just the latest incident since an Israeli woman was killed by a rocket fired by Palestinian militants, Wednesday. Some senior Israeli officials say Palestinian militant leaders should be targeted by Israel, if the rocket attacks continue.
Israel's forces say they opened fire on a heavily armed man in the al-Ein refugee camp in the West Bank city, Nablus. Palestinians say the man was unarmed.
The clash followed air strikes by Israel against homes of Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip. These answered Qassam rocket attacks against the Israeli towns, Sderot and Ashkelon, Wednesday, that left an Israeli woman dead. Israeli cabinet member Meir Sheetrit told Israel Radio that Palestinian militant leaders should be targeted, if the strikes continue.
Sheetrit says, although those behind the strikes need to be either jailed or eliminated, only a political solution will solve the problem of Palestinian violence.
Meanwhile, in a television address, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas appealed for an end to the violence. His comments followed his trip to Cairo, where he met with President Hosni Mubarak and diplomats involved in the Middle East peace process.