Clashes broke out between Palestinians and Israeli forces in the southern West Bank early Thursday.

The incident came after an Israeli settler attacked three members of a family, injuring two children and an elderly woman near Bethlehem.

The woman and two children, age 10 and 11, were pelted with stones on their way to school in the Tuqu village, our correspondent said.

Israeli forces raided the village firing tear gas and rubber-coated bullets, witnesses said.

An Israeli military spokesman said forces used riot-dispersal means to subdue a riot. Some 50 Palestinians burned tires and hurled rocks at Israeli vehicles, he said, and one civilian vehicle was damaged.