An 11-year-old Palestinian boy died Monday from head injuries that his family says he suffered when he was pushed from a military jeep in the occupied West Bank, hospital officials said.

An army spokesman said he was checking the report, but he said an earlier investigation found no evidence the child was taken away by soldiers in a jeep.Palestinians shut shops and schools on the third day of a general strike throughout the West Bank and Gaza Strip. At least eight towns and refugee camps that were the scenes of violence Sunday were under curfew, Arab news reports said.

Palestinian doctors said Badr Kar-ada of Nablus died at east Jerusalem's Mukassad Hospital from injuries to the head suffered Dec. 10. They said relatives told them he was pushed from a military jeep after being detained by troops.

A total of 332 Palestinians have died in the uprising. Thirteen Israelis have been killed.

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Left-wing Israelis announced they formed a human rights group to monitor abuses in the occupied territories. The group was named Betze-lim, "Image" in English.

"We formed the group to save the human image of Israel, that's why we chose this name," Roni Tamor, one of the founders, said in an interview.

She said the organization of about 60 leftist authors, journalists and lawyers would collect affidavits and statements about abuses, as well as lobby Parliament about human rights violations.

The strike paralyzed public transportation and commerce throughout the occupied territories. The three-day strike was called after soldiers fatally shot five Arabs in the West Bank city of Nablus on Friday, one of the bloodiest days of the uprising.

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