ISRAEL

Independent: Israeli army sniper leaves British peace activist brain-dead

A British peace activist was pronounced brain-dead yesterday after being shot in the head by an Israeli army sniper.

Tom Hurndall, 21, from London, was shot while trying to rescue Palestinian children from a street where they were pinned down by Israeli gunfire.

He is the third peace activist to be killed or seriously injured in the occupied territories in the past month.

His fellow activists were beginning to wonder aloud last night if they are a target of the Israeli army. Mr Hurndall was declared brain-dead on arrival at a Palestinian hospital in Rafah but there were some reports last night that his condition might be improving.