Israeli troops swept through Palestinian-ruled Bethlehem Friday as the United States prepared to follow a long trail of bloodshed with a new truce mission by its Middle East envoy. At least 34 Palestinians, including a general and a nine-year-old boy, had been killed by Israeli forces since late Thursday, Palestinian officials said -- some of the bloodiest few hours in 17 months of revolt against Israeli occupation. A Palestinian gunman killed five Israelis in a settlement in Gaza, drawing a punishing Israeli sweep through a village, while in the West Bank, residents said dozens of armed Jewish settlers went on a rampage in another Palestinian village.

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