The Israeli police said that the 37-year-old Izz Ed-Din Saleh Al-Kawazbeh, a father of six from the West Bank town of Sair, near Hebron, was shot to death after he tried to grab the Border Guard's weapon.

Despite a modest recovery in the West Bank after years of conflict-driven downturn, there is still significant economic hardship. Jobs remain scarce and pay is lower than in Israel. A workers' rights group said thousands sneak into Israel every day in search of jobs.

The dead man's cousin, 22-year-old Mohammed Qawasmeh, said his relative was shot from close range and without provocation.

He said about 100 workers from villages near the West Bank city of Hebron climb over the separation barrier at a particular spot once a week, head for jobs on Israeli construction sites and return to their villages for the weekend.

"We climb on each other's shoulders to the top of the wall, and we tie the rope, then descend to the other side," Qawasmeh said. "We usually choose (Saturday) midnight, because there are no soldiers and security. We move to a nearby place, a hill, where we stay until the morning," then travel by bus and on foot for several more hours to various construction sites.

Israel started building the separation barrier in 2002 at the height of the second Palestinian uprising, saying it was necessary to keep Palestinian suicide bombers from entering the country. It is now about two-thirds complete, running north to south in the West Bank.

Israeli police said the Palestinians trying to enter Sunday ignored police orders to stop and fled. But an officer caught up with Al-Kawazbeh. Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said he was shot after trying to grab the officer's gun, but it wasn't clear whether the officer fired or his gun discharged accidentally.

The cousin denied that Al-Kawazbeh tried to grab the gun.

West Bank Palestinians must obtain special permits to enter Israel. The number of permits plummeted during the years of the uprising. Although the number has increased in recent years, many are still turned away. Those without permits sometimes try to sneak in, though the separation barrier has made such crossings more difficult.