27 injured in West Bank gun battle

Twenty-seven Palestinians and a Belgian news photographer have been injured in a gun battle between Israeli troops and Palestinians.

Of the injured, eight were hit by live fire, including the photographer, who was shot in the leg during the battle near the West Bank town of Ramallah.

Israeli soldiers aimed machine gun fire at empty high-rise apartment buildings used by Palestinian gunmen as cover.

Smoke billowed from one of the buildings as shots hit the wall.

In the Gaza Strip, the Islamic militant group Hamas threatened to carry out more suicide attacks against Israel.

Some 2,500 Hamas supporters chanted, "Destroy the centre of Tel Aviv", and burned effigies of Ariel Sharon and George W Bush.

One Hamas banner read "Generals like Sharon only understand the language of resistance and holy war".

Meanwhile Israeli prime minister-elect Ariel Sharon has offered Ehud Barak the position of defence minister in an Israeli coalition government, according to a Sharon aide.

Mr Barak's aides were not available for comment on how he responded to the offer. Israeli radio stations say the former prime minister told Mr Sharon he would stay out of politics for a while.