A/H1N1 virus Saturday claimed the life of a Palestinian child in the Gaza Strip, bringing the death toll to eight within a week after the disease was discovered in the densely populated enclave.

"The child, infected with the virus four days ago, was treated but failed to resist the disease since she also suffered from kidney failure," said the health ministry of the deposed Hamas government in a statement sent to the media.

Influenza A/H1N1 cases were first found on December 6 in the blockaded strip and 52 Gazans have been diagnosed with the virus so far.

(Xinhua News Agency December 13, 2009)