Palestinian Killed, 3 Wounded in West Bank Clashes

One Palestinian was killed and three others wounded Thursday in a gun battle near the West Bank city of Ramallah, Israel Radio reported.

The incident took place when the Israeli army tried to enter a Palestinian village near the Jewish settlement of Psagot, the radio quoted a Palestinian source as saying.

A conflicting report from the Israeli army spokesman's office said that the killed Palestinian, a 39-year-old man, was shot while Israeli soldiers returned fire to the gunmen attacking the settlement. But Palestinian sources said that the man, an unarmed civilian, was playing soccer in an open field when the clashes occurred.

An Israeli army spokeswoman said that it was the Palestinian side who attacked the settlement first and she didn't know how many Palestinians were wounded. An Israeli soldier was slightly wounded in the clashes, she added.

The death has brought to 17 the number of Palestinians killed since an Israeli-Palestinian ceasefire took effect on June 13. During the period, 10 Israelis were also killed.

The two sides have been engaged in clashes for more than nine months, during which over 600 people, most of them Palestinians, have been killed.






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