Israelis kill Palestinian teenager carrying toy gun

HEBRON, West Bank, July 3 (Reuters) Israeli soldiers shot dead a Palestinian teenager today in the occupied West Bank town of Hebron, mistaking him for a gunman because he was carrying a toy weapon, a military spokeswoman said.

A Palestinian hospital official confirmed a 15-year-old boy had been killed by soldiers in the Loza district of Hebron. A Palestinian security source said Israeli soldiers had opened fire at a group of gunmen, shooting the youth.

An Israeli military spokeswoman said the troops ''saw armed men and fired at one of them'', thinking he was holding an assault rifle, but further checks showed that he had in fact been holding a toy gun.

The Palestinian source initially said there had been a gun battle, but later said Palestinians had not fired.

Israeli soldiers frequently raid West Bank towns in search of militants suspected of involvement in attacks against Israelis or in planning violence.

Hebron is particularly tense, as the home of several hundred Jewish settlers who live among tens of thousands of Palestinians in a city regarded as holy by Jews, Muslims and Christians.

REUTERS RKM RK2228