Israeli forces kill Palestinian man suspected of West Bank drive-by shooting

RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) – Israeli forces killed a Palestinian man the military said had fired on one of its posts in the occupied West Bank on Wednesday, the latest in a series of deadly incidents over the past year.

The military said in a statement that soldiers conducting routine activity in the area responded with live fire and launched a pursuit when a driver shot at one of its posts near the settlement of Ofra.

During the pursuit, a suspect got out of the car and fired at the soldiers, who then shot and killed him, the military said. The Palestinian health ministry confirmed the death of the man but gave no details on the incident.

Reuters could not independently verify the military’s account.

The al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, an offshoot of the Fatah movement led by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, claimed the man as a member.

According to the Palestinian health ministry, more than 210 Palestinians have been killed this year, including those who died during a brief conflict in Gaza in August, most after the military launched a crackdown in the West Bank following a spate of attacks in Israel. They include militants and civilians.

In the same period, Israeli authorities say 23 civilians and eight security personnel have been killed in Palestinian attacks in Israel and the West Bank.

Israel captured the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem – areas that Palestinians want for a state – in a 1967 Middle East war. U.S.-sponsored negotiations stalled in 2014 but the expansion of Jewish settlements on occupied land has continued despite international opposition.

The Palestinian Prisoners Club said the 32-year-old man, who had previously been imprisoned by Israel, was from the town of Silwad, where Israel confiscated land from Palestinians to build the settlement of Ofra.

(Reporting by Ali Sawafta in Ramallah; Additional reporting by Henriette Chacar in Jerusalem; Editing by James Mackenzie and Crispian Balmer)