Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias arrived in Israel for a three-day visit on Sunday, as his country voted in a referendum that could decide the country's financial future.

"The foreign ministry welcomes Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias on arriving for a formal visit, during a time difficult for the Greek leadership and public," an official Israeli statement read.

Israeli ministers on Sunday struck down a bill that would have canceled the monopoly the ultra-Orthodox chief rabbinate holds over conversions in Israel.

A proposal approved by the cabinet in November but never passed by parliament stipulated that the chief rabbi of each Israeli city would be able to convene and chair a court on conversions to the Jewish faith, in addition to the four current state-recognized Orthodox bodies.

In the ruins of what used to be his home, Gaza Strip resident Rabah Abu Shanab reflects on what used to be -- and what little hope remains.

"We were doing better a year ago," the 57-year-old said while sitting on a plastic chair in his living room, now just concrete slabs and twisted iron bars.

Children scramble down a narrow corridor between giant concrete walls as if it were a real-life maze -- but the stark addition to their Israeli nursery has nothing to do with playtime.

"The children, they reflect their parents," said Hagar Weiner, the 62-year-old head of the nursery and kindergarten where concrete blast walls are designed to protect the children from rocket and mortar fire.

Israeli troops deployed in the outskirts of the town of Shebaa and took combat positions close to Lebanon's Blue Line, the state-run National News Agency said on Saturday.

At 10:00 am, the troops deployed in the al-Shahel area near the Blue Line that demarcates the border between Lebanon and Israel, NNA added.

Two rockets fired from Egypt's violence-plagued Sinai Peninsula exploded inside Israeli territory on Friday without causing casualties, a military spokesman said.

"Two rockets fired from Sinai struck southern Israel, but without causing casualties or material damage," the spokesman said, without elaborating.

Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas on Friday dismissed as "propaganda" an Israeli claim that it provided support related to this week's jihadist attacks against Egyptian soldiers in Sinai.

"The occupation's (Israel) statements about Hamas helping IS are stupid accusations... and propaganda that aims to incite against Hamas," spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri told AFP, referring to the Islamic State group, whose fighters carried out the attacks.

Palestinian forces have arrested around 100 Hamas members in the West Bank, a security official said Friday, raising tension between the Islamist movement and its Ramallah-based rivals.

The people, arrested overnight, "intended to carry out attacks against the Palestinian Authority (PA)," the official said, without elaborating.

Israeli soldiers shot dead a Palestinian teenager in the West Bank on Friday after he threw stones at their patrol, Palestinian medical and security sources said.

Mohammad Kosba, 17, was killed by two bullets after launching the stones at an Israeli military vehicle close to the Qalandia checkpoint, south of Ramallah, the sources said.

A senior Israeli officer said Thursday the militant Palestinian movement Hamas played a part in attacks by the Islamic State group on Egyptian soldiers in the Sinai Peninsula.

"In the latest attacks Hamas gave support with weapons and organization to groups supporting IS," Major General Yoav Mordechai said in an interview in Arabic with Al-Jazeera television.