The US "desertion" of its long-time ally President Hosni Mubarak in the face of protests shaking the Egyptian regime has angered Israel, with analysts warning of consequences for the turbulent West Asia.

An Israeli commission investigating last May's deadly raid on aid ships trying to break a blockade on the Gaza Strip will release its first report on Sunday, an official source said.

Israel's social affairs minister Isaac Herzog on Monday became the first labour minister to quit the government after party leader Ehud Barak said he was leaving to form a new faction.

A rocket fired from the Gaza Strip landed in southern Israel on Tuesday, causing no injuries, the Israeli military said.

Chile's recognition of an independent Palestinian state is "useless" and will not help advance peace, a senior Israeli official told AFP on Saturday.

Israel's military on Monday sought to cast doubt on reports that tear gas fired by its troops caused the death of a Palestinian protester, prompting fierce rebuttals from activists.

Jawaher Abu Rahma died overnight Friday after inhaling massive amounts of tear gas at a demonstration against Israel's separation barrier, according to Israeli and Palestinian activists and staff at a Ramallah hospital.

The Palestinian militants on Friday fired a mortar round from Gaza into southern Israel, causing no casualties or damage, the Israeli military said.

The shell landed in an empty field in the southern Eshkol area, a military spokesman told AFP.

Members of Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas' Fatah party asked Israel to attack rival Palestinian movement hamas in 2007, diplomatic cables leaked by whistleblower WikiLeaks show.

Determined to stem the growing number of draft dodgers, Israeli military says it has caught around 1,000 women, who tried to avoid compulsory service by lying about their religious orientation, throug

A long-range rocket fired on Friday from Gaza into Israel exploded near the Negev desert town of Ofakim without causing any casualties, Israel's military said.