Hundreds of Palestinians Clash With Troops, Settlers in Gaza

Hundreds of Palestinians clashed with Israeli troops and Jewish settlers Thursday in the Gaza Strip. Five Palestinians were wounded by gunfire, and an elderly man died of a heart attack after inhaling tear gas.

The violence erupted while Egyptian envoy Osama Baz shuttled between Israeli and Palestinian leaders, trying to break a three-month freeze in peace talks between the sides.

In one incident, Gazan protesters clashed with Israeli troops over land they said was confiscated by Israel for a settler access road. Israel denied that the land had been expropriated and said the Palestinians were angered by a fence built around the settlement.

About 3,000 protesters came to the disputed area near the Jewish settlement of Morag to plant olive and fruit trees. When Israeli troops ordered the Palestinians to leave, they hurled stones at the soldiers, who responded with tear gas and gunfire.

A 72-year-old protester, Abed Karim Krinawi, collapsed, apparently after inhaling tear gas. Doctors said he died of a heart attack.

Two Palestinians were wounded by shrapnel and one by a rubber bullet, hospital officials said. A dozen other Palestinians were beaten with clubs by the Israeli soldiers, witnesses said.

In a second clash, Palestinian truckers blocked the entrance to a Gaza settlement bloc in an attempt to prevent the unveiling of a memorial to an Israeli soldier killed in a gun battle between Israeli and Palestinian troops last fall.

Palestinians hurled stones at Israeli cars stuck in traffic, smashing several windshields, and shots were fired at one Israeli car.

Palestinian hospital officials said three Palestinians were wounded by gunfire in the confrontation, including two who were in serious condition.

It was not immediately clear who fired the shots.