Foreign Marchers Hurt as Israeli Troops Open Fire

BEIT JALA, West Bank (Reuters) - Five foreign peace activists and a Palestinian television cameraman were injured by shrapnel Monday when Israeli soldiers opened fire at their feet during a march, officials and witnesses said.

Firing started when about 100 demonstrators, including Palestinians and foreigners, marched near a church in the center of the West Bank town of Beit Jala, carrying a sign saying "We want peace not war," witnesses said.

The director of Beit Jala hospital, Dr. Peter Qumri, confirmed five marchers had been wounded. He said one woman was undergoing an operation to remove shrapnel from her abdomen.

A Palestinian cameraman working for the Associated Press was also wounded in the leg, colleagues said. He had been covering the march.

The Israeli army said it was checking the report.