Israeli forces raided the West Bank cities of Nablus, Qalqilya and Ramallah and detained 11 Palestinians, Palestinian security sources said on Thursday.

The detainees, aged between 18 and 22 years old, were taken from their houses over the night, added the sources.

The Israeli army operates on a daily basis in the West Bank, which is controlled by the Palestinian National Authority (PNA).

In the Gaza Strip, where Islamic Hamas movement holds sway, militants and Israeli troops exchanged fire on the coastal enclave 's northern border.

The Popular Resistance Committee (PRC), an armed group close to Hamas, said its militants engaged with the Israeli troops that entered the border area in the dead of night.

There have been no reports of casualties in the clashes.

(Xinhua News Agency January 1, 2010)