Israeli troops killed a Palestinian activist early Tuesday in an exchange of fire in the village of Sanur, near the West Bank city of Jenin. In a separate incident also early on Tuesday, a pregnant Palestinian woman died at an Israeli checkpoint in the West Bank.
Also early Tuesday morning, Israeli missiles hit a southern Gaza Strip building. The Israeli side claimed it was the opening to a tunnel used by Palestinians for arms smuggling.
Meanwhile, Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas, meeting Israeli Foreign Minister ahead of the Tuesday opening of the UN General Assembly's ministerial meeting, vowed to "exert maximum effort" to secure the release of captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, Haaretz reported.
Both Livni and Abbas described the meeting at the UN headquarters in New York, the first in four months between senior Palestinian and Israeli officials, as positive. "It was a very, very positive meeting with Mrs. Livni. We talked (about) everything," Abbas told reporters after Monday's talks. "The meeting was very good, important and constructive," said Livni. "We discussed the situation on the ground, in the Palestinian Authority, what we are facing ... what are the next steps. Firstly, and the most important issue for Israel is the unconditional release of Gilad Shalit, the first abducted soldier."
