Jerusalem - Two of Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's top aides were Tuesday en route to Turkey for a fourth round of indirect peace negotiations with Syria, Israel radio 
reported.

Yoram Turbovich and Shalom Turgeman wanted to proceed with the talks on arrival, the report said.

The latest round is to cover how the two former enemies can move on from the phase of indirect talks to direct talks, Syrian government officials have said.

Tel Aviv - Israeli army and police forces killed a wanted Palestinian militant in the West Bank city of Hebron in the early hours Sunday, Israeli media reported.

Shihab Natsheh died in a gunbattle at a hideout being used by militants from of the radical Palestinian Islamic Hamas group, the Ynet news website said quoting the Israeli Defence Force.

An Israeli army spokeswoman said Sunday forces had swooped on Hebron the previous night.

Gaza - Hamas forces launched a crackdown on supporters and charities linked to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah movement in the Gaza Strip early Saturday after a mysterious blast that killed a number of Hamas people, Fatah sources said.

Among those detained by Hamas was a colonel working in the pro- Abbas intelligence service and a cameraman working for the German ARD television channel, the sources said.

A bomb planted under the car of a Hamas member went off late Friday, killing a girl and five members of Hamas' armed wing who were picnicking at the beach in the west of Gaza city.

The car was parked behind a tent used by a group of Hamas people. Dozens more people were reported wounded.

Jerusalem  - US Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama was in Jerusalem on Wednesday for talks with Israeli and Palestinian leaders.

His visit is an important step in his election campaign and intended to reaffirm strong ties between United States and Israel, drive home his own position and signal his support for the peace process.

Tel Aviv - The Israeli soldier arrested following the release of a video showing him shooting a handcuffed Palestinian protestor in the foot with a rubber-coated metal bullet has been released, Israel media reported Tuesday.

He was released after 24 hours in custody, the Ynet news website reported. Israeli military police arrested the soldier late Sunday.

The incident happened some two weeks ago in the Palestinian village of Nil'in, north-west of Jerusalem. A 14-year-old resident of the village filmed the incident and an Israeli human rights group, B'Tselem, published the video clip on Sunday, demanding the soldier be brought to justice.

Jerusalem - British Prime Minister Gordon Brown was set to address the Israeli parliament early Monday afternoon, before wrapping up a two-day visit to Israel and the West Bank. 

Brown will be the first British prime minister to speak before the Knesset. The address marks 60 years since Israel was founded.