Tel Aviv - Israeli border police shot dead a Palestinian woman who opened fire on their base in southern Israel on Saturday afternoon, a spokesman for the para-military police force said.

He said the woman, carrying a backpack, approached the base and opened fire with a rifle. The sentry on duty at the gate returned the fire, and another border policeman opened fire as well, killing the woman.

Sappers examined the woman's backpack for fear she had been carrying a bomb, but it was found to be free of explosives, the spokesman said. (dpa)