A Palestinian, angered by the killing of three relatives...

A Palestinian, angered by the killing of three relatives in an Israeli air strike on Islamic militants, burst into a courtroom and shot dead a man on trial for allegedly betraying the trio, witnesses said.The three members of the Islamic militant group Hamas died in the Israeli air strike in the Gaza Strip in June.Abed al-Hai al-Sababy was on trial in the Gaza Strip town of Khan Younis on charges of betraying the Hamas men to the Israeli army, which holds about a third of the territory with the rest in Palestinian Authority hands.His trial was under way when an Israeli warplane rocketed the nearby home in Khan Younis of a senior Hamas militant. Witnesses said the militant escaped unharmed."During the Israeli attack, angry Palestinian families went inside the court. And one member of the Rizq family killed Al-Salaby," presiding judge Abdel Aziz Wadi told Reuters.Palestinian security sources said a number of people had been detained over the shooting and an inquiry had begun.Witnesses said some of the police guarding the courtroom ran out in response to the air strike, causing a security lapse that allowed the gunman to get in and shoot the defendant.Khalid al-Qdrah, chief prosecutor for Palestinian state security, said angry relatives of the dead Hamas men assumed the Israeli air strike was "an attempt to help al-Sababy escape".If he had been convicted, al-Salaby would have received the death sentence, Palestinian officials said. Evidence that he had spied for Shin Bet, the Israeli internal intelligence service, was strong, the officials added.More than 40 Palestinians accused of collaborating with Israel have been killed by Palestinian militants. The Palestinian Authority has condemned such vigilantism.