Israeli helicopter gunships fired missiles at an office of Palestinian President Yasser Arafat's Fatah faction on Saturday, casting a pall over efforts to reach a cease-fire in nearly a year of violence. Israeli soldiers also shot dead a 13-year-old Palestinian boy in Gaza, hospital officials and witnesses said. Palestinian witnesses said the helicopters fired three missiles at the office in the al-Bireh suburb of the West Bank city of Ramallah, not far from the Jewish settlement of Psagot. No casualties were reported.

Witnesses said the office, in a residential area, was evacuated several months ago when Israeli missile strikes became more commonplace during the Palestinian uprising. Windows of nearby homes were shattered by the explosions.
The Israeli army said it carried out the raid to retaliate for several attacks in the West Bank recently, specifically a shooting on Thursday in which an Israeli soldier was killed.
Palestinian gunmen in Ramallah and Israeli soldiers guarding Psagot have often exchanged fire since the uprising erupted in September after peace talks stalled.
In another incident, Israeli troops shot dead 13-year-old Mohammed Abu Libda in southern Gaza near the Egyptian border, hospital officials and witnesses said. They said the boy was shot in the stomach but further details of the shooting were not immediately available.

The latest violence overshadowed efforts to arrange peace talks between Arafat and Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres.

Bureau Report