A 13-year-old boy shot in the head during clashes in Bethlehem between Palestinians and Israeli troops in a "day of rage" called by Palestinian organizations was pronounced "clinically dead", hospital sources told AFP on Monday.
The boy was rushed to hospital after being wounded in the head as youths clashed with soldiers in the West Bank town, but was pronounced clinically dead shortly afterwards, the sources said.
In Ramallah, an Israeli soldier was shot with a live round in the head during violent confrontations at the northern entrance of the city, said Al Jazira satellite channel the same day.
AFP added that more than 50 Palestinians have been wounded in ongoing clashes in the West Bank and Gaza Strip Monday as Israeli soldiers opened fire on protesters with live rounds and rubber-coated bullets in several towns, hospital sources said.
Two were in serious condition in hospital in the West Bank town of Ramallah, the sources said, adding that a total of 15 were wounded in Ramallah, most by live fire from Israeli troops.
Hospital sources in the Gaza Strip reported 23 protesters were hurt in clashes with troops guarding the Jewish settlement at Gush Katif, said the agency.
An AFP correspondent in Hebron said eight protesters were wounded, one by a live round, during a confrontation between demonstrators and troops guarding a Jewish settlement in the town.
Eight more were hurt in protests in the West Bank town of Bethlehem, while clashes in the nearby village of Hussan injured three.
Witnesses told the agency Israeli soldiers and Palestinians also traded gunfire near a crossing-point between the Gaza Strip and Egypt.
Palestinians opened fire on a group of Israeli soldiers who were repairing a hole in a border fence at Rafah near the crossing-point, which is controlled by the Israelis, they said.
Israeli reinforcements were dispatched to the area.
In Jerusalem, the Israeli army confirmed the clash, but gave no details.
Monday's clashes came as Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat met Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak along with US, Jordanian and Egyptian leaders at a summit in Egypt's Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh aimed at halting more than two weeks of deadly violence in the Palestinian territories – RAMALLAH (AFP)
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