ISRAELI troops killed six protesters in Gaza yesterday as clashes escalated across the Palestinian territories and Israel.

The Israeli military said about 200 Palestinians in Gaza had advanced toward the border, throwing rocks and rolling burning tyres at soldiers stationed there. Troops opened fire, killing six protesters.

In a speech delivered in Gaza, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh declared a third intifada, saying that 20 years of negotiations with Israel had failed to secure an independent Palestinian state.