Palestinian shot in West Bank town

Palestinian gunmen opened fire at Israeli troops patrolling an area near the site of today's West Bank pullback, sparking a gun battle that left a Palestinian militant moderately wounded, Israeli and Palestinian security officials said.

The army said no soldiers were wounded in the gunfight near the village of Qabatiya. Army Radio said the attack was meant to disrupt the evacuation of four West Bank settlements.

The wounded gunman is a member of the Islamic Jihad militant group, a Palestinian security official said.

The shooting occurred about 10 miles away from where Israeli troops were forcibly removing settlers. Israeli commanders said they were on alert for Palestinian attacks in the area.