The United States reaffirmed on Wednesday that it intends to vote against a Palestinian request for enhanced status at the United Nations.

"We intend to vote no.... We think this is a mistake," State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said. "We oppose this move altogether."

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas met two senior U.S. officials on Wednesday to discuss his controversial bid for elevated U.N. recognition, diplomats said.

Abbas held talks with Deputy Secretary of State William Burns and U.S. Middle East envoy David Hale at his hotel, diplomats said.

Hamas chief Khaled Meshaal is to make his first-ever visit to the Gaza Strip at the end of next week, accompanied by top officials, a senior Hamas source said on Wednesday.

"Meshaal will arrive in the Gaza Strip accompanied by a number of members of the Hamas politburo-in-exile a day before the Hamas anniversary, to participate in the celebrations," the source said, referring to the start of festivities on December 8 to mark the Islamist movement's 25th birthday.

Officials in Gaza said Israeli troops shot and wounded five Palestinians along the border Wednesday and arrested nine fisherman at sea, a week after the two sides agreed a truce.

Medical officials said that army fire injured four Palestinians east of El-Bureij refugee camp in the center of the strip and a fifth in the north, near the Erez crossing to Israel.

Britain said Wednesday it will abstain on a vote for upgraded Palestinian diplomatic status at the United Nations unless the Palestinians commit to an unconditional return to talks with Israel, as Germany said it would not vote in favor of the resolution.

Foreign Secretary William Hague said Britain would only support Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Thursday's vote at U.N. headquarters if Abbas agreed to negotiations over a lasting two-state deal with Israel.

The Palestinians head to the United Nations on Thursday in a bid to upgrade their status in a move likely to bring them new global recognition but also harsh repercussions.

President Mahmoud Abbas will personally submit the request seeking to upgrade their rank from an observer entity to that of a non-member observer state before the U.N. General Assembly.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and the State Department are being sued for allegedly allowing American aid money meant for the Palestinian Authority to be used by terror groups like Hamas.

The lawsuit was filed on Monday in Washington on behalf of 24 U.S. citizens living in Israel by the Israel Law Center, a Tel Aviv-based legal group that specializes in fighting "terrorist organizations and the regimes that support them," according to its website.

A March 14 delegation will be visiting Gaza to meet with several officials in the district, reported Future TV on Monday.

“March 14 General Secretariat Coordinator Fares Soaid will head the delegation going to Gaza on Tuesday,” Radio Voice of Lebanon (100.5) said.

A Palestinian was wounded in the southern Gaza Strip on Sunday after being shot by Israeli security forces, medics said, a day after Hamas deployed police to prevent clashes.

According to the Gaza medical sources, the incident occurred east of Khan Younis.

Gaza's Hamas government on Sunday announced the creation of a committee to examine the "unlawful executions" of Palestinians accused of collaborating with Israel during the recent conflict.

"The government has decided to set up a committee to study what happened with the unlawful executions which took place during the aggression," Hamas government spokesman Taher al-Nounou told reporters in Gaza City.