One dead, 8 hurt in Middle East violence

Palestinian men in Gaza City carry the body of a man on Thursday who was killed by Israeli troops near Netzarim

JERUSALEM -- One Palestinian was killed Friday in Gaza and at least eight others were injured elsewhere in clashes in the West Bank, according to the Palestine Red Crescent Society.

The Israel Defense Forces had no immediate comment.

The Red Crescent reported that a 20-year-old man had been fatally shot in the chest. Reuters news agency reported that the man was shot while sitting near protesters hurling stones at Israeli soldiers guarding the road leading to the Jewish settlement of Netzarim.

The Israeli army said it was unaware that its soldiers had killed a Palestinian, but said they had injured one demonstrator in an earlier confrontation at the Karni Crossing in Gaza, Reuters reported.

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Palestinian hospital sources said Israeli troops wounded three Palestinians in the incident and denied they had been throwing stones, Reuters reported.

The Red Crescent also reported that at least eight Palestinians were injured in the West Bank as protests continued against travel restrictions on the Palestinian territories.

Palestinians declared Friday, the Muslim day of prayers, a day of rage in protest against the travel restrictions the Sharon government has placed on the West Bank and Gaza,

Friday was the third day of Palestinian demonstrations against the closure in the West Bank, which Israel said it had imposed for security reasons following the September outbreak of a Palestinian uprising.

Palestinians brand the closure collective punishment. It has dealt a severe blow to an already ailing economy.

Reuters contributed to this report.

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Palestinian National Authority
The Israeli Prime Minister's Office
Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs

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