Israeli forces kill Palestinian man in West Bank clash

JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Israeli forces killed a Palestinian man during clashes in the occupied West Bank on Wednesday, Palestinian officials said, a day after five people were killed in separate incidents.

The Israeli military said its forces were conducting an arrest raid in the town of Ya’bad near Jenin when suspects hurled explosive devices and shot at the soldiers, who responded with live fire.

The Palestinian health ministry said the man succumbed to his wounds after being shot in the chest.

The Israeli military statement did not confirm the Palestinian man’s death but said a wanted suspect was arrested and transferred for further processing after soldiers found a M16 rifle and 50,000 shekels ($14,507.05) that the military said was designated for “terrorist activity”.

Israeli forces had killed five Palestinians on Tuesday. Four people, including two brothers, were killed during clashes and a driver was shot after ramming his car into a soldier.

The violence comes amid an Israeli crackdown on militants and protesters across the West Bank in near-daily raids that have often ended in deadly clashes, following a series of fatal street attacks by Palestinians in Israel earlier this year.

The Palestinian health ministry said 210 Palestinians have been killed this year, including those who died during a brief conflict in Gaza in August. They included militants and civilians.

At the same time, 23 civilians and eight security personnel have been killed in Palestinian attacks in Israel and the West Bank, according to Israeli military figures, which show 136 Palestinians killed but do not include Gaza casualties.

($1 = 3.4466 shekels)

(Reporting by Henriette Chacar and Ali Sawafta; Editing by James Mackenzie and Arun Koyyur)