Israeli occupation troops shot dead a Palestinian cameraman during clashes with stone throwers and resistance men in the West Bank city of Nablus on Saturday, witnesses and medics said. Dozens of Israeli occupation soldiers raided Nablus's historic old city, or Casbah, encountering scores of Palestinian youths who began throwing stones, Palestinian witnesses said. Palestinian resistance men also opened fire in some places and a gun battle with the occupation soldiers started, they said.

An Israeli security source said an armored vehicle broke down in an alleyway and was hit by stones, petrol bombs and gunfire.

A group of Palestinian journalists, including a Reuters cameraman and photographer, was filming the clash around the vehicle when occupation soldiers opened fire.

Nazih Darwazeh, 45, a cameraman for Palestinian television, was hit in the face in the shooting and died on the way to hospital, the Reuters journalists and Palestinian medics said.

Television footage of the incident showed the cameraman -- wearing a bright yellow, sleeveless jacket marked "Press" -- filming youths throwing stones at the Israeli vehicle.

Gunfire erupted from the vehicle, sending the teenagers running for cover.

The Israeli source said occupation soldiers returned fire from resistance men , but witnesses said there was no Palestinian gunfire in the area at the time.

Hospital officials said at least 18 Palestinians were wounded in the violence.

The Israeli source said occupation troops had entered the city to arrest a Palestinian woman suspected of planning to carry out a resistance bombing and her handler.

The occupation army reoccupied most Palestinian cities and towns in the West Bank last summer after Palestinian activists carried out a wave of resistance bombings inside Israel as part of a 30-month-old uprising for statehood.

At least three other journalists, including one foreigner, have been killed while covering clashes since the start of the uprising in September 2000. Dozens more have been wounded.

Since the uprising began, at least 1,998 Palestinians and 732 Israelis have been killed.

PHOTO CAPTION

File Photo of Nazih Darouza, a 45-year-old a Palestinian cameraman who was killed by Israeli occupation troops during clash with resistance men in the West bank city of Nablus April 19, 2003. Israeli occupation troops shot dead the Palestinian cameraman during a clash with resistance men in the West Bank city of Nablus on Saturday, Palestinian witnesses and medics said. At least three journalists, including one foreigner, have been killed while covering clashes since the start of the uprising in September 2000. Dozens more have been wounded. (Abed Omar Qusini/Reuters)