Ramallah, Mar 19 (IANS): Dozens of Palestinian protesters were injured during clashes with Israeli soldiers in several West Bank towns and villages, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent Society.

Palestinian witnesses told Xinhua news agency that fierce clashes broke out on Friday in the villages of Beita and Beit Dajan, south and east of the northern West Bank city of Nablus in the southern city of Hebron, and in the village of Kafr Qaddum, east of Qaqilya.

Among the injured, two were shot by live ammunition, 20 by rubber bullets, and dozens suffered from inhaling teargas, according to the organisation.

In a statement, the Palestinian Foreign Ministry condemned what it termed as "the brutal repression practiced by the Israeli forces against the peaceful protesters".

Israeli authorities have not given any comment on the incidents.

The West Bank cities have seen weekly protests by Palestinians against the expansion of Israeli settlements.

Israel occupied the West Bank and East Jerusalem, which are claimed by the Palestinians, in the 1967 Middle East war.