[02 May 2005] JERUSALEM,(Saba) - An Israeli soldier and a Palestinian fugitive were killed in a West Bank shootout Monday, the army said, part of a marked increase in tension in recent weeks despite a three-month-old truce.

Al Jazeera T.V quoted Israeli sources as saying the clash occurred in the village of Sida near Tulkarm, one of three cities handed over to Palestinian Authority security control under the truce declared in February.

The violent West Bank incident began when Israeli troops raided Seideh before dawn Monday and imposed a curfew. A shootout erupted, leaving a militant and a soldier dead, the Israeli army said.

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SABA