One Palestinian killed in Israeli military operation in the West Bank

Ramallah/Tel Aviv, Sept 20, (dpa/GNA) – A 19-year-old Palestinian was killed during an Israeli military operation in the West Bank on Wednesday, after suffering a gunshot wound to the head, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry in Ramallah.

The Israeli army said soldiers were pelted with explosive devices during the operation, in a statement issued following the incident.

According to Palestinian media reports, the Israeli military had surrounded a house in the refugee camp of Jericho, in the southern West Bank, in the early morning and arrested two men, leading to clashes.

It comes after five Palestinians were killed in clashes in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank on Tuesday.

Four militant Palestinians were shot and killed in the West Bank city of Jenin, the Health Ministry confirmed on Wednesday.

Jenin is considered a stronghold of militant Palestinians, with the Israeli army frequently carrying out raids there. The Islamist Hamas movement, which controls the Gaza Strip, said two of those killed there were members of its armed wing.

Meanwhile, one Palestinian was shot dead during renewed unrest at the border fence between the Gaza Strip and Israel on Tuesday.

The security situation in Israel and the occupied West Bank has long been tense. A total of 27 Israelis, one Ukrainian woman and one Italian man, have been killed in attacks since the beginning of the year. More than 190 Palestinians were killed in Israeli military operations, clashes or their own attacks during that period.

Israel occupied the West Bank and East Jerusalem in 1967. The Palestinians claim the territories for an independent state, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

GNA