Clashes with Israeli soldiers wound 96 Palestinians in West Bank, Gaza

At least 96 Palestinians were injured in clashes that broke out on Friday afternoon between Palestinian stone throwers and Israeli soldiers in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, medics said.

A spokesman of the health ministry in Gaza said that 65 Palestinians were injured in the Gaza Strip by Israeli troops' gunfire; including four paramedics and four local cameramen.

Clashes broke out on Friday afternoon when dozens of Palestinian young man clashed with Israeli soldiers stationed on the borderline area between Israel and northern, eastern and southern Gaza Strip.

Eyewitnesses said that Palestinian young men threw stones at the soldiers who fired back live ammunition, rubber bullets and tear gas, mainly in northern and southern Gaza Strip.

The spokesperson also said that a Palestinian young men died of his wounds he sustained from last Friday, where he was shot and critically wounded by Israeli troops' gunfire in northern Gaza Strip.

In the West Bank, the Palestinian health ministry said that 31 Palestinians were injured during similar clashes that broke out between Palestinian young men and Israeli soldiers in various towns and villages.

It is the third Friday of rage and fierce clashes that have been going on between the Israel security forces and the Palestinians in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip since early October.

Ten Israelis and 55 Palestinians have been killed in attacks and clashes in the month-long violence , which started amid uproar over the holy site of the al-Aqsa compound in east Jerusalem.

Diplomatic efforts to defuse the violence picked up this week, with a visit to the region by United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. Endit