GAZA CITY. Dec 31 : An official in Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat’s Fatah movement was shot dead today by the Israeli army, sources on both sides said. In a killing the Palestinians angrily denounced as "nillllary terrorism", report agencies.

Thabet Thabet, a doctor who headed Fatah In the town of Tulkarem and was director general of the Palestinians' health ministry, was shot dead with five bullets to the chest at less than 300-metre range, sources close to Fatah said.

Israeli public radio said Israeli officials had confirmed their soldiers had killed Thabet.

The Kahanes' car was riddled with bullets as It travelled to Jerusalem from their home in Kfar Tapouakh settlement, near Nablus.

Their car overturned and crashed Into a ditch. Thabet died at the scene and his wife. Talia, was pronounced dead at a Jerusalem hospital. Five of their children were also injured.

Israel has killed several leaders of Palestinian factions over the past few weeks, as a Palestinian intifada, or uprising, continues In the occupied territories.

These Israeli crimes arc proof of Israel's stale terrorism.' Palestinian cabinet secretary Ahmad Abdel Rahman said.

The Palestinian Authority and Fatah promise the martyr Thabet they will continue the intifada until Israel's policy of military terrorism is defeated." he told AFP.

Top Arafat aide Nabil Abu Rudeina said Israel was responsible for "political murders."

"We hold the Israeli government responsible for continued attacks and murders, which are going to bring catastrophic reactions ... and deslroy efforts to save the peace process.” he said.

Some 2.000 demonstrators took to the streets of Ramallah, where Fatah's West Bank leader Marwan Bargjioulhl told them that Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak was personally responsible for*the killing.

Through this action, he has opened the gates of hell," he said.

Meanwhile Palestinian communication minister Imad Falujl said Sunday that killing Jewish setters was "a Palestinian right" and called on settlers to leave before being killed.

'Killing settlers Is a Palestinian right- It will never be safe for any settler on our Palestinian land." Falujl told reporters.

He called on settlers to leave "Palestine before leaving In caskets."

Falujl is a member of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat s Fatah faction. but was formerly part of the militant movement Hamas and is considered sympathetic to the Islamists.