West Bank - Palestinian police have cracked down on a Hamas protest in the southern West Bank city of Hebron, beating demonstrators with batons and throwing stun grenades.

Some 50 Hamas activists confronted Palestinian forces after Muslim prayers on Friday, as the militant group marked the 31st anniversary of their establishment.

An Associated Press cameraman said Palestinian police brutally beat Hamas activists to disperse the protest, injuring five and arresting 15.

Meanwhile, street clashes between Israeli soldiers and Palestinian protesters erupted outside Ramallah, with protesters slinging rocks and soldiers responding with tear gas.

Tensions have escalated in the West Bank as Israel presses on with a manhunt for the Palestinian gunman that killed two Israeli soldiers on Thursday, the second fatal attack this week. Israel has boosted its forces and arrested dozens of Hamas activists in an overnight raid.