B'Tselem, the Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories, said in a report on the casualties of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict released on Monday that 1,317 of the 6,371 Palestinians were minors.

The organization added that among those killed 2,996 Palestinians did not take part in fighting with Israeli forces, while 2,193 did.

B'Tselem said it was unaware whether 694 of the Palestinians did or did not take part in fighting.

It added that among those who died in a major Israeli offensive on Gaza Strip between December 2008 and January 2009 248 were Palestinian police officers. The organization said that 240 Palestinian were targets of assassinations.

On the Israeli side, B'Tselem said that Palestinian militants killed 1,083 Israelis in the same period.

"Palestinians killed 1,083 Israelis in Israel and in the territories in the last 10 years," said B'Tselem. "Seven-hundred and forty-one of those killed were citizens, 124 of them were minors, and 342 were security personnel."

B'Tselem said two weeks ago that the Israeli military authorities consistently refrained from investigating the cases in which Israeli soldiers killed Palestinian civilians.

The organization said in a report called "Void of Responsibility" that soldiers who kill Palestinians in the West Bank are seldom punished, even when circumstances clearly indicate foul play.

The report said that during the period in question, the Israeli forces killed 1,510 Palestinians, 617 of them noncombatants; but according to the group, out of its 148 requests only 22 -- less than 15 percent -- were investigated, 29 cases were closed, 16 cases are pending decision on prosecution, and the rest are pending decision on further review.

Meanwhile, Israeli forces operating in West Bank cities on early Monday arrested five Palestinians, Israeli and Palestinian security sources said.

The Palestinian sources said that the five civilians were arrested in the cities of Jenin and Nablus after meticulous house search operations.

Israeli security sources told the Army Radio that the detainees were wanted by the Israeli intelligence agency Shin Bet for their alleged involvement in launching attacks against Israeli targets and were taken to unknown locations for questioning.

Israeli defense establishment says the arrest campaigns in Palestinian cities are part of its war against Palestinian armed groups.

The Palestinian Authority (PA) says that the daily Israeli raids hinder its security forces to tighten their grip on the Palestinian territories.

Israel does not allow the PA to have any security role in specific areas in the West Bank.