Israel troops shoot dead Palestinian in West Bank

Israeli troops shot dead a Palestinian near the city of Jenin in the northern West Bank on Wednesday in clashes following an arrest raid, medical and security sources said.

The shooting came after weeks of low-level violence in the occupied Palestinian territories, and amid regular Israeli arrests in the West Bank.

Mohammed Alawneh, 22, was killed in clashes that followed raids and searches by Israeli soldiers on several houses in the village of Birqin, west of Jenin, the Palestinian sources said.

One Palestinian, identified as Mohammed Atiq, was arrested during the operation.

Afterwards, dozens of Palestinians hurled rocks at soldiers, and the army responded with tear gas and gunfire.

Alawneh was shot in the chest and died shortly after arriving at hospital in Jenin, the medical source said. He was to be buried later on Wednesday.

A military source told Israeli public radio that "the army and border guards carried out an operation in the village to arrest wanted Palestinians.

"Stones and Molotov cocktails were thrown and tyres were burned," and "forces used riot-dispersal means," including tear gas and rubber-coated bullets against the stone-throwers.

No live ammunition was used, the source said.

The nearby Jenin refugee camp is the scene of frequent clashes between Palestinians and Israeli troops, with the army carrying out regular raids to arrest suspected militants.

Last month, soldiers shot dead a Palestinian who opened fire at troops at a checkpoint in the Jordan Valley during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.

Also in June, a Palestinian stabbed an Israeli policeman in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem's Old City, before being shot and wounded.

Last week, Israel arrested five Palestinians suspected of involvement in the murder of an Israeli who was shot in his car in the occupied West Bank.
Source: AFP