West Bank: Palestinian shot dead during Israeli operations

Israeli troops shot a Palestinian man dead in the West Bank city of Nablus, the Palestinian Health Ministry said on Wednesday.

"The young man, Muhammad Hassan Muhammad Assaf, 34, died after being shot in the chest by the Israeli occupation army during the aggression on the city of Nablus," the ministry said. The Palestinian Red Crescent said that there had been 31 people injured with 10 having been hit by live ammunition.

What we know

The circumstances surrounding the man's death are not yet clear, with the Israeli military yet to comment.

Israel Defense Forces (IDF) did however say in a tweet on Tuesday that troops were conducting "intelligence-based counterterrorism activity," and that forces had apprehended "20 terrorist suspects in Judea and Samaria overnight."

Israeli public radio reported that troops had entered Nablus to protect Israeli workers repairing damage to the Joseph's Tomb funerary monument after the site was damaged by Palestinians over the weekend.

Military operations in response to increase in attacks

Israeli forces have been conducting military operations in the West Bank, which are now into their fifth day.

The increase in military activity has come in response to a series of attacks in Israel over the past three weeks that have left 14 people dead.

Last week three Israelis were killed in a shooting rampage in Tel Aviv, with the suspected gunman eventually being shot dead by security forces.

In March, five people were killed in another shooting rampage in the Israeli city of Bnei Brak, near Tel Aviv. There have also been stabbing and car-ramming attacks in recent weeks.

AFP news agency has reported that 16 Palestinians have been killed over the same period.

The outbreak of violence is considered to be the deadliest in years and comes as Muslims observe the holy month of Ramadan, and also just days before Jewish Passover and the Christian celebration of Easter.

kb/mh (AFP,AP)