Israeli baby killed by gunfire

The infant's father was also seriously wounded

The Israeli army has ordered the evacuation of part of the West Bank city of Hebron following the killing of a baby by Palestinian gunfire on a Jewish settlement in the city.

We demand that all this territory be recaptured and the terrorists wiped out

Noam Arnon, spokesman for Jewish settlers in Hebron

Israeli officials said the 10-month-old Jewish girl, Shalhevet Hass, was hit after Palestinians opened fire on a home in the settlement of Avraham Avinu, an Israeli army spokesman said.

She is believed to be one of the youngest casualties in six months of the Palestinian uprising, or intifada.

There has been no confirmation from Palestinian officials.

The Abu Sneinah district, believed to be the source of the gunfire, is expected to be the target of an anticipated military response by the Israeli army.

The Hass family

Hebron is frequently a flashpoint for Israeli-Palestinian violence between the 400 committed settlers who live in heavily guarded enclaves in the city centre surrounded by 100,000 Palestinians.

The shooting occurred during a day of violent clashes throughout the West Bank and Gaza Strip between Israelis and Palestinians.

The girl's father, Yitzhak, was reported to have been seriously wounded in the shooting, which prompted Israeli troops to unleash heavy fire on a nearby building that Palestinian gunmen were believed to be using for cover.

Retaliation

Attempts to resuscitate the infant continued under heavy gunfire and a helicopter was sent to the area to evacuate the casualties,.

Settlers live in a heavily guarded enclave in Hebron

But the girl, who had been shot twice in the head, died at the scene.

The BBC's correspondent in Jerusalem, Jeremy Cooke, says the Israelis have acted robustly to this incident, which will certainly shock public opinion across the country.

He says it presents a challenge to the new Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, who was elected promising Israelis peace with security.

After the shooting of the infant, the Israeli authorities immediately imposed a blockade on Hebron.

According to Israel Radio, the Israeli prime minister said he held the Palestinian National Authority responsible for the "violence and terrorism" that led to the killing.

Clashes

Elsewhere in the West Bank and Gaza, at least 10 Palestinians were reported to have been wounded on Monday in separate clashes that erupted as Arab leaders prepared for a summit on Tuesday in Jordan.

The summit will focus on the crisis in the Palestinian territories.

Reports say the army shot and wounded five Palestinians in the West Bank town of Jericho during a stone-throwing protest against Israel's blockade of the city.

In the Gaza Strip, a 15-year-old Palestinian youth was said to have been seriously wounded by gunfire at the Karni crossing point between Gaza and Israel.

More than 400 people have been killed since the uprising began, nearly 350 of them Palestinian, more than 60 Israelis and 13 Israeli Arabs.