Israeli troops kill teen in West Bank raid: Palestinian ministry

NABLUS: Israeli troops shot dead a Palestinian teenager in the occupied West Bank city of Nablus Tuesday, the Palestinian health ministry said, with the Israeli army claiming he had fired on soldiers.

The ministry said Hamza Amjad al-Ashqar, 17, was "killed by a bullet in the face fired by the occupation (Israeli) soldiers during the aggression on Nablus".

The Israeli army claimed troops had "responded with live fire towards an armed suspect who fired at them".

"A hit was identified," the army said in a statement, adding that "rocks, explosive devices and Molotov cocktails were hurled at the soldiers" conducting the raid.

A military spokesperson could not immediately tell AFP what weapon the armed suspect had fired.

A Palestinian security source, who was not authorised to speak to the media, said Ashqar was from Nablus's Askar refugee camp.

Three people were arrested during the Israeli raid on the city, the source added.

No Palestinian group claimed Ashqar as a member.

Separately, official Palestinian news agency Wafa said around 20 Palestinians were arrested in Burqin, near the flashpoint city of Jenin.

There has been a mounting death toll from a spate of Israeli raids in West Bank towns and cities in recent months.

On Monday, Israeli forces killed five suspected Palestinian gunmen in a raid in Jericho, in the Jordan Valley, after a days-long search for suspects in a shooting in a restaurant near the city.

Since the start of the year, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has claimed the lives of 42 Palestinians — including attackers, militants and civilians. Six Israeli civilians, including a child, and one Ukrainian civilian have been killed over the same period.

Israel has occupied the West Bank since the Six-Day War of 1967.