Israeli boy, 4, killed in Palestinian mortar attack

JERUSALEM – Israeli rescue officials say a 4-year-old boy has been killed in a mortar attack near the border with the Gaza Strip.

The attack occurred early Friday evening in a southern Israeli village along the frontier.

Eli Bin, head of Israel's national rescue service, confirmed the death in TV interviews.

It was the first Israeli death since a new round of fighting erupted on Tuesday between Israel and Gaza's Hamas rulers following the collapse of cease-fire talks in Cairo.

In six weeks of fighting, more than 2,000 Palestinians and 68 Israelis have died.