JERUSALEM: Israel's defence minister today dismissed claims the country's spy agency was behind the assassination of a Palestinian scientist in Malaysia, suggesting instead that his killing was a "settling of accounts".Speaking to Israeli radio, Avigdor Lieberman described the dead Palestinian, a member of Islamist militant group Hamas, as "no saint" and said he had been involved in rocket production.Fadi Mohammad al-Batsh, 35, was killed in a Kuala Lumpur drive-by shooting on Saturday, according to Malaysian authorities, with his family accusing Israel's Mossad spy agency of the assassination.Hamas said Batsh, a research scientist specialising in energy issues, was one of its members."There's a tradition among terror organisations of blaming Israel for every instance of settling of accounts," Lieberman told public radio, noting the reports that Batsh's work involved improving the range and accuracy of rockets."The man was no saint and settling accounts among terror groups and different factions is something we see all the time," he said."I assume this was the case here too." An autopsy was being carried out Sunday on the body of Batsh, who was walking to dawn prayers at a local mosque in the Kuala Lumpur suburb of Gombak when he was shot by two gunmen riding a motorcycle, Malaysian officials said.At the crime scene, police markers indicated 14 bullets had been sprayed at the victim, some of them hitting a wall.Malaysian Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi was quoted by the state-run Bernama news agency as saying Batsh was "an electrical engineer and an expert at making rockets".Militants in Hamas-ruled Gaza fire rockets at southern Israel, but usually without casualties.Malaysia's police chief Mohamad Fuzi Harun said a task force has been formed to investigate the killing but would not speculate on the motive or whether foreign assassins were involved.Photos of the two suspects provided by witnesses showed they looked like Europeans, he told a news conference Sunday afternoon.When asked if there was evidence of foreign involvement in the killing, he said: "We want to ensure a complete probe. We are still investigating the motive. I urge people not to make any conclusion." No arrests have been made and the murder weapon has not been recovered, he said.Palestinian representative to Malaysia Anwar al-Agha said Fadi's body would be taken back to the Palestinian territories for burial.Mohammad Shedad, 17, a student and a relative of the victim, also blamed Mossad for the killing."It is definitely the work of Mossad. Fadi is a very clever person, anyone who is clever is a threat to Israel," he told AFP outside the victim's Malaysian apartment."Fadi is a Hamas member and knows how to make rockets. So (Israel) think he is dangerous." Batsh was married with three young children and had lived in Malaysia for 10 years.It was the second high-profile killing of a foreigner in Malaysia in just over a year.In February 2017 assassins smeared the banned VX nerve agent on the face of Kim Jong Nam , the estranged half-brother of North Korea's leader, at Kuala Lumpur International Airport, killing him within minutes.The Mossad is believed to have assassinated Palestinian militants and scientists in the past, but rarely confirms such operations.Hamas has accused Mossad of assassinating one of its drone experts -- Mohamed Zouari -- in Tunisia in 2016, and the spy agency is also believed to have been behind the 2010 murder of top Hamas militant Mahmud al-Mabhuh in a Dubai hotel.In Iran, a total of five scientists -- four of them involved in the country's nuclear programme -- were killed in bomb and gun attacks in Tehran between 2010 and 2012 at the height of tensions over the country's nuclear ambitions. Iran has accused Mossad and the CIA of ordering the killings.Tensions between Israel and Gaza are high, with 38 Palestinians killed in four weeks of clashes along the border.Today, Israel announced the arrest of 19 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, 15 of them allegedly affiliated with Hamas in Gaza "who were instructed to carry out different missions on behalf of the Hamas terror organisation," the army said. </s> JERUSALEM
• Israel's Defence Minister said yesterday that a Palestinian scientist shot dead in Malaysia was a rocket expert and "no saint", but dismissed suggestions by Hamas that Israel's Mossad spy agency assassinated him.

Two men on a motorcycle fired 10 shots at Dr Fadi Mohammad al-Batsh, an engineering lecturer, in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday, killing him on the spot, said the city's police chief Mazlan Lazim.

Dr Batsh was walking from his apartment to dawn prayers at a local mosque at the suburb of Gombak when he was shot. An autopsy on his body was being carried out yesterday.

Hamas, an Islamist militant group that rules the Gaza Strip, said one of its members had been assassinated in Malaysia. Its leader Ismail Haniyeh said Mossad had been behind past attempts to kill Palestinian scientists, and the attack on Dr Batsh "follows this sequence".

Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman said it was likely that Dr Batsh was killed as part of an internal Palestinian dispute. "The terrorist organisations blame every assassination on Israel - we're used to that," Mr Lieberman told Israel Radio.

"The man was no saint and he didn't deal with improving infrastructure in Gaza - he was involved in improving rockets' accuracy... We constantly see a settling of accounts between various factions in the terrorist organisations and I suppose that is what happened in this case."

Malaysian police chief Mohamad Fuzi Harun said yesterday that a task force has been formed to investigate the killing but would not speculate on the motive or whether foreign assassins were involved.

Photos of the two suspects provided by witnesses showed they looked like Europeans but police could not confirm they were in fact from Europe, he told a news conference. "We want to ensure a complete probe. We are still investigating the motive," Tan Sri Fuzi said.

No arrests have been made so far and the murder weapon has not been recovered, he said, as he appealed for witnesses to come forward.

Palestinian representative to Malaysia Anwar al-Asha said Dr Batsh's body will be taken back to the Palestinian territories for burial after it is handed back to the family.

Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi was quoted by the state-run Bernama news agency yesterday as saying that Dr Batsh was "an electrical engineer and an expert at making rockets".

Militants in Hamas-ruled Gaza fire rockets at southern Israel, but usually without casualties. In recent weeks, tensions have run high at the Gaza-Israel border as Palestinians ramped up protests demanding the right to return to homes that are now in Israel. </s> JERUSALEM: Israel's defence minister on Sunday (Apr 22) dismissed claims the country's spy agency was behind the assassination of a Palestinian scientist in Malaysia, suggesting instead that his killing was a "settling of accounts".

Speaking to Israeli radio, Avigdor Lieberman described the dead Palestinian, a member of Islamist militant group Hamas, as "no saint" and said he had been involved in rocket production.

Fadi Mohammad al-Batsh, 35, was killed in a Kuala Lumpur drive-by shooting on Saturday, according to Malaysian authorities, with his family accusing Israel's Mossad spy agency of the assassination.

Hamas said Batsh, a research scientist specialising in energy issues, was one of its members.

"There's a tradition among terror organisations of blaming Israel for every instance of settling of accounts," Lieberman told public radio, noting the reports that Batsh's work involved improving the range and accuracy of rockets.

"The man was no saint and settling accounts among terror groups and different factions is something we see all the time," he said. "I assume this was the case here too."

An autopsy was being carried out Sunday on the body of Batsh, who was walking to dawn prayers at a local mosque in the Kuala Lumpur suburb of Gombak when he was shot by two gunmen riding a motorcycle, Malaysian officials said.

At the crime scene, police markers indicated 14 bullets had been sprayed at the victim, some of them hitting a wall.

Malaysian Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi was quoted by the state-run Bernama news agency as saying Batsh was "an electrical engineer and an expert at making rockets".

Militants in Hamas-ruled Gaza fire rockets at southern Israel, but usually without casualties.

Malaysia's police chief Mohamad Fuzi Harun said a task force has been formed to investigate the killing but would not speculate on the motive or whether foreign assassins were involved.

Photos of the two suspects provided by witnesses showed they looked like Europeans, he told a news conference on Sunday afternoon.

When asked if there was evidence of foreign involvement in the killing, he said: "We want to ensure a complete probe. We are still investigating the motive. I urge people not to make any conclusion."

No arrests have been made and the murder weapon has not been recovered, he said.

Palestinian representative to Malaysia Anwar al-Agha said Fadi's body would be taken back to the Palestinian territories for burial.

Mohammad Shedad, 17, a student and a relative of the victim, also blamed Mossad for the killing.

"It is definitely the work of Mossad. Fadi is a very clever person, anyone who is clever is a threat to Israel," he told AFP outside the victim's Malaysian apartment.

"Fadi is a Hamas member and knows how to make rockets. So (Israel) think he is dangerous."

Batsh was married with three young children and had lived in Malaysia for 10 years.

It was the second high-profile killing of a foreigner in Malaysia in just over a year.

In February 2017 assassins smeared the banned VX nerve agent on the face of Kim Jong Nam, the estranged half-brother of North Korea's leader, at Kuala Lumpur International Airport, killing him within minutes.

The Mossad is believed to have assassinated Palestinian militants and scientists in the past, but rarely confirms such operations.

Hamas has accused Mossad of assassinating one of its drone experts - Mohamed Zouari - in Tunisia in 2016, and the spy agency is also believed to have been behind the 2010 murder of top Hamas militant Mahmud al-Mabhuh in a Dubai hotel.

In Iran, a total of five scientists - four of them involved in the country's nuclear programme - were killed in bomb and gun attacks in Tehran between 2010 and 2012 at the height of tensions over the country's nuclear ambitions.

Iran has accused Mossad and the CIA of ordering the killings.

Tensions between Israel and Gaza are high, with 38 Palestinians killed in four weeks of clashes along the border.

On Sunday, Israel announced the arrest of 19 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, 15 of them allegedly affiliated with Hamas in Gaza "who were instructed to carry out different missions on behalf of the Hamas terror organisation," the army said. </s> GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — The Latest on developments surrounding the killing of a Palestinian in Malaysia (all times local):

Thousands of people, led by Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh, are taking part in the funeral of Hamas engineer Fadi al-Batsh in northern Gaza.

Haniyeh led the funeral prayers at a mosque in Jabaliya, the town where al-Batsh grew up. He accused Israel of killing al-Batsh, who was gunned down in Malaysia last week, and vowed revenge.

Haniyeh said "the hand that assassinated the scientist will be severed." He also thanked Malaysia and Egypt for allowing the body to be repatriated to Gaza "against the will of" Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman.

Lieberman had said the body should not be returned until Hamas releases captive Israeli civilians and the remains of Israeli soldiers it is holding.

Mourners interrupted Haniyeh several times in applause, chanting "God is Great."

The body of a Hamas scientist gunned down in Malaysia last week has arrived in his native Gaza for burial.

Relatives and Palestinian faction leaders gathered in a show of respect to greet the body of Fadi al-Batsh as it entered Gaza through the Egyptian border. Hamas has scheduled a funeral for Friday.

Al-Batsh, who was working as a university researcher in Malaysia, was killed by a pair of assailants on motorcycles early Saturday as he was on his way to pray at a mosque in Kuala Lumpur.

Hamas has identified him as commander in its military wing and accused Israel of killing him.

But on Thursday, Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman said Israel did not do it.

Israeli media have reported that al-Batsh was involved in Hamas' military drone program.

Israel's defense minister is denying that his country killed a Hamas-affiliated scientist who was gunned down last week in Malaysia.

Avigdor Lieberman told the Arabic news site Elaph that "we did not assassinate him."

When asked in the interview on Thursday who killed Palestinian engineer Fadi al-Batsh, the minister said: "Ask James Bond ... maybe James Bond killed him like in the movies."

Al-Batsh, an electrical engineering lecturer at a Malaysian university, was gunned down by two men on a motorcycle as he was on his way to a mosque on Saturday.

In Gaza, Hamas leaders and relatives are waiting at the Egyptian border for his body.

Hamas, the militant Islamic group that rules Gaza, accuses Israel of assassinating al-Batsh. He is to be buried Friday at a ceremony led by Ismail Haniyeh, Hamas' top leader.

Hundreds of Palestinians have participated in the funeral of a Gaza journalist who died after being shot by Israeli troops while covering a border protest.

Ahmed Abu Hussein, 24, died Wednesday at an Israeli hospital, nearly two weeks after he was shot on April 13.

Abu Hussein was covering the weekly massive protests organized by Hamas, the militant group that controls Gaza.

Hamas leaders and family members were waiting Thursday at the Egyptian border for the body of a Hamas-affiliated scientist gunned down last week in Malaysia. The body of Fadi al-Batsh, an engineering lecturer in a Kuala Lumpur university, was expected to arrive later Thursday.

Hamas, which accuses Israel of assassinating al-Batsh, is to bury him on Friday at a ceremony led by Ismail Haniyeh, the group's top leader. </s> GAZA, Palestinian Territory — The Hamas militant group says a man who was gunned down in Malaysia was one of its members who had made “important contributions” in science.

In a statement, Hamas said Saturday that Palestinian engineer Fadi al-Batsh was a “loyal” member and a “scientist of Palestine’s youth scholars.” It gave no further details on his scientific accomplishments but said he had participated in international forums in the field of energy.

Hamas stopped short of blaming Israel, saying only that he had been “assassinated by the hand of treachery.” But relatives of al-Batsh believe Israel targeted him.

Malaysian police say Batsh was gunned down by two assailants on a motorbike as he was heading to a mosque for dawn prayers. Besides his Hamas affiliation, he was also a relative of a senior official in the Islamic Jihad militant group. </s> GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — Gaza's ruling Hamas militant group said Saturday that a man who was gunned down in Malaysia was an important member of the organization, accusing Israel of being behind the brazen killing.

Hamas said Palestinian engineer Fadi al-Batsh was a "loyal" member and a "scientist of Palestine's youth scholars." It gave no further details on his scientific accomplishments but said he had made "important contributions" and participated in international forums in the field of energy.

Hamas initially stopped short of blaming Israel, saying only that he had been "assassinated by the hand of treachery." But later its top leader accused Israel's Mossad spy agency intelligence of killing him and threatened retaliation.

Ismail Haniyeh told The Associated Press Saturday that based on previous assassinations "Mossad is not away from this disgraceful, terrible crime."

"There will be an unsettled account between us and it," Haniyeh said at the Gaza mourning tent, referring to Mossad. "We cannot give up on the blood of our sons, youths and scholars."

The Israeli government had no comment. But Israel has a long history of suspected targeting of wanted Palestinian militants in daring overseas operations around the globe and has been linked to other assassinations as well, though it has rarely publicly acknowledged them.

Malaysian police say the 34-year-old al-Batsh was gunned down early Saturday by two assailants who shot at least eight bullets from a motorbike as he was heading to a mosque for dawn prayers in Kuala Lampur. It said closed-circuit television footage showed him targeted by assassins who had waited for him for almost 20 minutes.

Malaysia's deputy prime minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the government was looking into the possibility of the involvement of "foreign agents" in his killing. He told local media that initial investigations showed the assailants were "white men" driving a powerful BMW 1100cc motorbike.

Besides his Hamas affiliation, al-Batsh was also a cousin of Khaled al-Batsh, a senior official in the Islamic Jihad militant group, who accused Mossad of the assassination, without providing evidence.

Though Hamas stressed al-Batsh's scientific background, the funeral service of the Islamic movement's militant wing suggested al-Batsh was actually one of its military commanders. At a mourning tent in the Gaza Strip, a banner described al-Batsh as a member of the military wing. Ten masked militants in camouflage uniforms stood in a line outside the tent in Jabaliya, the slain man's hometown, to greet mourners. The ceremony is typical for senior Hamas commanders.

Al-Batsh specialized in electrical and electronic engineering and worked at a Malaysian university. He had lived there with his family for the past eight years and was an imam at a local mosque.

He received his Ph.D degree from the University of Malaya in 2015 and was a senior lecturer at the British Malaysian Institute. His official biography said his research interests included power converters, power quality and renewable energy.

However, Israeli media reported that he was also deeply involved in the Hamas drone development project.

Israel and Hamas are bitter foes who have fought three wars since 2008. Tensions have risen in recent weeks with a series of mass protests along the Gaza border in which 32 Palestinians have been shot dead by Israeli troops since late March.

Hamas says the protests are aimed at breaking a crippling border blockade that was imposed by Israel and Egypt after the Islamic militant group overran Gaza in 2007, a year after winning Palestinian parliamentary elections. It says it also aims to assert the right of refugees to return to their former homes in Israel.

Israel accuses Hamas, which is sworn to Israel's destruction and has carried out dozens of deadly suicide bombings against it, of cynically exploiting Gaza civilians for its political aims by staging the protests and trying to carry out attacks under their cover.

Israel has used lethal force against unarmed protesters, but it says it is only targeting instigators who are trying to damage the border fence with explosives, firebombs and other means. However, the United Nations, the European Union and rights groups have questioned Israel's use of force when soldiers' lives are not in danger and the U.N. and E.U. have called for investigations.

Protests are aiming to culminate in a large border march on May 15, the 70th anniversary of Israel founding. The date is mourned by Palestinians as their "nakba,"or catastrophe, when hundreds of thousands were uprooted in the 1948 Mideast war over Israel's creation.

Associated Press writer Eileen Ng in Kuala Lumpur contributed to this report. </s> JERUSALEM: Israel's defence minister said on Sunday a Palestinian scientist shot dead in Malaysia was a rocket expert and "no saint", but dismissed suggestions by Hamas that Israel's Mossad spy agency assassinated him.

Two men on a motorcycle fired 10 shots at Fadi al-Batsh, an engineering lecturer, in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday, killing him on the spot, the city's police chief, Mazlan Lazim said.

Hamas, an Islamist militant group that rules the Gaza Strip, said one of its members had been assassinated in Malaysia. Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said Mossad had been behind past attempts to kill Palestinian scientists, and the attack on Batsh "follows this sequence."

Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman said it was likely that Batsh was killed as part of an internal Palestinian dispute.

"We heard about it in the news. The terrorist organisations blame every assassination on Israel - we're used to that," Lieberman told Israel Radio.

"The man was no saint and he didn't deal with improving infrastructure in Gaza - he was involved in improving rockets' accuracy ... We constantly see a settling of accounts between various factions in the terrorist organisations and I suppose that is what happened in this case."

Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the suspects in the killing, who fled the scene, were believed to be Europeans with links to a foreign intelligence agency, state news agency Bernama reported.

He added that Batsh was active in pro-Palestinian non-governmental organisations, describing him as an expert in electrical engineering and rocket-building.

He could have been seen as "a liability for a country that is an enemy of Palestine," Zahid was quoted as saying by Bernama.

Batsh was a lecturer at Universiti Kuala Lumpur, specialising in power engineering, according to the university.

Batsh's uncle Jamal al-Batsh, speaking to Reuters in the Gaza Strip, said he believed Mossad was behind the killing because "Israel knows Palestine will be liberated by scientists".

Hamas, which advocates Israel's destruction, fired thousands of rockets at Israel, most of them intercepted by an anti-missile system, during a 2014 Gaza war that included devastating Israeli attacks in the enclave of two million Palestinians.

In recent weeks, tensions have been running high at the Gaza-Israel border as Palestinians have ramped up protests demanding the right to return to homes that are now in Israel.

Israel's use of live fire, killing at least 35 Palestinians, has drawn international criticism. Israel says it is protecting its borders and takes such action when protesters come too close to the border fence. </s> GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip -- Gaza's ruling Hamas militant group said Saturday that a man who was gunned down in Malaysia was an important member of the organization, accusing Israel of being behind the killing.

Hamas said Palestinian engineer Fadi al-Batsh was a "loyal" member and a "scientist of Palestine's youth scholars." It gave no further details on his scientific accomplishments but said he had made "important contributions" and participated in international forums in the field of energy.

Hamas initially stopped short of blaming Israel, saying only that he had been "assassinated by the hand of treachery." But later its top leader accused Israel's Mossad spy agency of killing him and threatened retaliation.

Ismail Haniyeh said Saturday that based on previous assassinations "Mossad is not away from this disgraceful, terrible crime."

"There will be an unsettled account between us and it," Haniyeh said at the Gaza mourning tent, referring to Mossad. "We cannot give up on the blood of our sons, youths and scholars."

The Israeli government had no comment. But Israel has a long history of suspected targeting of wanted Palestinian militants in overseas operations around the globe and has been linked to other assassinations as well, though it has rarely publicly acknowledged them.

Malaysian police say the 34-year-old al-Batsh was gunned down early Saturday by two assailants who shot at least eight bullets from a motorbike as he was heading to a mosque for dawn prayers in Kuala Lampur. It said closed-circuit television footage showed him targeted by assassins who had waited for him for almost 20 minutes.

Malaysia's Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the government was looking into the possibility of the involvement of "foreign agents" in his killing. He told media that initial investigations showed the assailants were "white men" driving a powerful BMW 1100cc motorbike.

Besides his Hamas affiliation, al-Batsh was also a cousin of Khaled al-Batsh, a senior official in the Islamic Jihad militant group, who accused Mossad of the assassination, without providing evidence.

Though Hamas stressed al-Batsh's scientific background, the funeral service of the Islamic movement's militant wing suggested al-Batsh was actually one of its military commanders. At a mourning tent in the Gaza Strip, a banner described al-Batsh as a member of the military wing. Ten masked militants in camouflage uniforms stood in a line outside the tent in Jebaliya, the slain man's hometown, to greet mourners. The ceremony is typical for senior Hamas commanders.

Al-Batsh specialized in electrical and electronic engineering and worked at a Malaysian university. He had lived there with his family for the past eight years and was an imam at an area mosque.

He received his doctorate from the University of Malaya in 2015 and was a senior lecturer at the British Malaysian Institute. His official biography said his research interests included power converters, power quality and renewable energy.

However, Israeli media reported that he was also deeply involved in the Hamas drone development project.

Israel and Hamas are bitter foes who have fought three wars since 2008. Tensions have risen in recent weeks with a series of mass protests along the Gaza border in which 32 Palestinians have been shot dead by Israeli troops since late March.

Information for this article was contributed by Eileen Ng of The Associated Press. </s> GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — Thousands of Palestinians joined a mass funeral on Thursday for a Hamas scientist who was gunned down in Malaysia last week, as Hamas' leader accused Israel of killing him and vowed revenge.

Fadi al-Batsh was laid to rest shortly after his body was returned to Gaza through the Egyptian border.

Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh led the funeral prayers at a mosque in Jabaliya, the town in northern Gaza where al-Batsh grew up.

"The hand that assassinated the scientist will be severed," he said, as the crowd responded with chants of "God is great."

Al-Batsh's body was brought to Gaza after crossing the Egyptian border earlier on Thursday, after Malaysia and Egypt arranged the return.

Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman had urged Egypt to reject the request to help repatriate the body and put pressure on Hamas to return two captive Israeli civilians and the remains of two Israeli soldiers the militant group is believed to be holding.

Haniyeh thanked Malaysia and Egypt for allowing al-Batsh's repatriation "against the will of" Lieberman.

Al-Batsh, an electrical engineering lecturer in Malaysia, was killed last week by two assailants on a motorcycle as he was walking to a mosque in Kuala Lumpur.

Hamas identified him as a commander in its military wing and quickly accused Israel's Mossad spy agency of being behind the hit. Israeli media reported that al-Batsh was a key player in a military drone program being developed by Hamas.

Israel has a long history of assassinating wanted militants, though it rarely acknowledges responsibility. But in a published interview on Thursday, Lieberman said Israel did not do it.

"We did not assassinate him," Lieberman told the Arabic news site Elaph. "Ask James Bond," he added. "Maybe James Bond killed him like in the movies."

Family members, Hamas leaders and other Palestinian dignitaries greeted the body, wrapped in a Palestinian flag, as it arrived at the Rafah border terminal.

"You are returning back to us ... paving the way for our return to Palestine," said Khalil al-Hayya, a top Hamas leader, at a small ceremony.

"To the occupation, we say the debt to us has become heavy," he said. "The day of punishment is coming."

Israel and Hamas, a militant group sworn to Israel's destruction, are bitter enemies that have fought three wars since Hamas seized control of Gaza in 2007.

Tensions have heightened recently as Hamas has organized mass protests along the Israeli border.

Earlier on Thursday in Gaza, hundreds of Palestinians took part in the funeral of a Gaza journalist who died after being shot by Israeli troops while covering a protest on April 13.

Ahmed Abu Hussein, 24, died from his wounds on Wednesday at an Israeli hospital, where he had been transferred.

Amateur video taken at the time shows him wearing a blue vest and helmet with the word "TV" on it. He appeared to be standing far from the Israeli border in a group of bystanders when he was shot.

In a statement Thursday, the Israeli military said "the circumstances regarding the injury of Ahmed Abu Hussein will be examined."

During the weekly demonstrations so far, 35 protesters, including two journalists, have been killed by Israeli live fire.

The Palestinian Health Ministry said 21 of those wounded by Israeli fire in the protests have since had to undergo amputations due to their wounds. It said 17 lost legs and four lost fingers or parts of their upper limbs.

Rights groups, the United Nations and the European Union have all criticized Israel's use of live fire against unarmed protesters.

Israel says it is defending its border and accuses Hamas of using the demonstrations as cover to plan and carry out attacks.
Hamas says Palestinian engineer Fadi al-Batsh, shot dead on his way to a mosque in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, today, was an important member. Hamas does not ascribe responsibility for the killing but the victim's relatives allege Israeli involvement. Israeli Education Minister Naftali Bennett calls al-Batsh a terrorist and says no burial will be permitted in Gaza.