Dozens of Palestinian schoolgirls hit with Israeli tear gas

Dozens of Palestinian schoolgirls who were on their way to school in the occupied West Bank were hit by teargas fired by Israeli soldiers, according to reports.

The incident took place in Al-Lubban Al-Sharqiya village, south Nablus, when Israeli soldiers fired tear gas as the young girls were close to their school causing at least 80 of them to "suffocate", local media reported.

One girl was taken to hospital after being struck by an Israeli soldier with a gun.

Classes have been disrupted as a result of the attack, according to the Palestinian Authority's news agency WAFA.

Israeli attacks against Palestinians, including children, are common, rights groups say.

A similar attack took place last month in Nablus when Palestinian students and teachers fled a school that was hit by tear gas.

The school in the West Bank village of Burin, south of Nablus, was submerged by tear gas after Israeli forces used the substance indiscriminately when protests broke out in the area.

Rights groups have repeatedly accused Israeli forces of using "unnecessary and excessive force" and carrying out extrajudicial killings of Palestinians.

Israel has occupied the West Bank illegally since 1967, and commits various abuses against Palestinian civilians, human rights groups say.

More than 600,000 Jewish Israelis live in settlements in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, in constructions considered illegal under international law.