Hamas on Thursday accused Egypt of further besieging the Gaza Strip by flooding the border area to the south of the Palestinian enclave, which is already under an Israeli blockade.

Egypt has been carrying out digging work in the area for several weeks that Palestinians believe is intended to flood the last remaining tunnels between Gaza and the Sinai, where jihadist fighters have been battling Egyptian forces.

Israel on Thursday defended the actions of its soldiers who shot dead an 18-year-old Palestinian woman at a checkpoint in the West Bank as questions swirled over the events that led to the killing.

Hadeel al-Hashlamon was shot by Israeli forces on Tuesday at a checkpoint in the flashpoint city of Hebron. The military said she was attempting to stab a soldier when they opened fire.

Clashes broke out Wednesday between Palestinian youths and Israeli forces in the West Bank city of Hebron following the funeral of a young woman shot dead after allegedly trying to stab a soldier.

Around 50 youths threw stones at soldiers, who responded with stun grenades and tear gas in the flashpoint city, where some 500 Israeli settlers live under heavy guard among Palestinians.

Israel will pay damages to the church where Christians believe Jesus performed the miracle of loaves and fishes, after an arson attack by suspected Jewish extremists, the justice ministry said.

Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein decided the Church of the Multiplication in Tabgha "should be compensated for the damages caused to it by the arson, in accordance with property tax regulations," a statement said Monday.

Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas warned Tuesday of the "risk of an intifada" if clashes over the Al-Aqsa mosque compound continue, after a meeting with French leader Francois Hollande in Paris.

"What is happening is very dangerous," Abbas said, calling on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to "stop" the chaos at the flashpoint holy site.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Russian President Vladimir Putin have agreed on a plan to avoid "misunderstandings" in Syria amid an apparent military build-up by Moscow to support President Bashar Assad.

The two leaders reached an agreement on Monday during talks in Russia, with Israeli media reporting that the discussions involved avoiding clashes between the two militaries' jets over Syria.

Human Rights Watch on Tuesday accused Egypt's military of having "violated international law" through mass home demolitions and evictions over the past two years along its border with Gaza.

Egypt's army in October created a wide buffer zone in the border town of Rafah in the north of the Sinai Peninsula, where it says tunnels have allowed militants and weapons in from the Palestinian enclave.

A Palestinian died while handling an explosive device and another was shot by Israeli forces in the West Bank on Tuesday as tensions rose ahead of major religious holidays for Jews and Muslims.

Both incidents occurred in the Hebron area of the southern West Bank ahead of the Yom Kippur and Eid al-Adha holidays and after three days of clashes rocked Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa mosque compound last week.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Monday as Israel frets over a Russian military buildup in Syria.

Netanyahu was accompanied by his army and intelligence chiefs in a rare step for an overseas visit that Israel said would focus on Russia's maneuvering in the war-torn nation. 

Israel said Monday thousands of police would be deployed in Jerusalem ahead of the Yom Kippur and Eid al-Adha holidays after three days of clashes rocked the al-Aqsa mosque compound.

Authorities also said 66 people had been arrested in Jerusalem over the past week, including some detained in connection with the unrest at al-Aqsa which saw Israeli police clash with rioters.