Palestinian shot dead in West Bank clashes: Ministry

A Palestinian man was killed Thursday by Israeli army gunfire in the occupied West Bank, after clashes broke out at the funeral of a Palestinian boy, officials said.

"Shawkat Khalid Awad, 20, died of gunshot wounds to the head and stomach in Beit Ummar," the Palestinian health ministry said.

The area has been the scene of clashes between protesters and Israeli forces for weeks.

On Wednesday, 12-year-old Mohamad al-Alami died after being shot by Israeli soldiers while travelling in a car with his father in Beit Ummar, northwest of Hebron, Palestinian officials said.

On Thursday a procession followed the boy's body, draped in the flag of Fatah, Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas's party, through Beit Ummar, where he was buried.

Later, hundreds of Palestinians threw stones at Israeli soldiers who responded by firing tear gas, an AFP correspondent said.

On Saturday a 17-year-old Palestinian died from wounds he received the day before.

Mohammed Munir al-Tamimi, who also suffered gunshot wounds, died in hospital, the Palestinian health ministry said, after the violence in the flashpoint village of Beita.

Hundreds of Palestinians had gathered last Friday afternoon in Beita to protest against the wildcat Jewish settlement of Eviatar, located nearby.

Clashes with Israeli soldiers left 320 Palestinians wounded, according to the Red Crescent.

All Jewish settlements in the West Bank are regarded as illegal by most of the international community.