Israeli troops kill another Palestinian

OCCUPIED JERUSALEM: Israeli soldiers shot and killed a Palestinian who tried to cross the border from Gaza armed with an axe on Monday, the military said in a statement.

The army circulated a picture of what it said was the axe lying on the ground near the border. A second PALESTINIAN WHO WAS WITH THE MAN LED after they damaged Israel’s security fence, a military spokesman said.

There was no immediate comment FROM PALESTINIAN OFICIALS ON THE Incident, which comes at a time of renewed violence along the Israel-gaza frontier.

Since March 30 Israeli troops have killed at least 120 Palestinians during mass demonstrations along the Gaza border, drawing international condemnation.

Israel says many of those killed were Hamas members trying to breach the border and launch attacks under cover of the protests. The United States has expressed support for Israel’s actions.

The Palestinians say most of the dead and the thousands wounded were unarmed civilians against whom Israel was using excessive force.

More than 2 million Palestinians are packed into Gaza, a narrow coastal enclave where unemployment is high and poverty widespread.

Israel withdrew its troops and settlers from Gaza in 2005, but maintains tight control of its land and sea borders, citing security concerns. Egypt also restricts movement in and out of Gaza on its border.

Separately, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned German Chancellor Angela Merkel Monday that Iranian meddling in the Middle East could touch off massive new refu- gee lows to europe, as they clashed about the future of the nuclear deal with tehran.

At the start of a three-day European tour dominated by strategic differences on Iran, Netanyahu charged that Tehran has been able to bankroll a growing military presence in countries such as Syria and Yemen because sanctions had been lifted in exchange for its halt in nuclear enrichment activities.

Iran wants to “basically conduct a religious campaign in largely Sunni Syria but try to convert Sunnis,” he said at a joint press conference with Merkel.

“This will inflame another religious war — this time a religious war inside Syria and the consequences will be many, many more refugees and you know where exactly they will come,” he said.