Israel military raid in West Bank kills a Palestinian man during nighttime skirmishes, says ministry

Israeli soldiers killed a Palestinian during nighttime skirmishes in a West Bank refugee camp, according to the Palestinian health ministry, as unrest in the occupied region continues.

“Ayed Samih Khaled was shot by live occupation (Israeli) bullets fired to the head,” the ministry said.

The military said troops destroyed an explosives stockpile in the Nour Shams refugee camp in the northern West Bank on Tuesday. During the operation, soldiers came under attack from armed gunmen and returned fire, the army said. The Israeli army did not respond immediately.

Residents of the Nur Shams camp in the northern West Bank, near the town of Tulkarem, reported that Israeli soldiers invaded the camp at about midnight (2100 GMT Monday).

“Soon after they entered the camp, clashes erupted between some militants and soldiers,” a resident told AFP on condition of anonymity for security reasons.

“The army had come with bulldozers to destroy some roads inside the camp.”

According to an AFP correspondent, the raid severely destroyed the camp’s sports complex.

Since early last year, violence related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has increased in the West Bank.

According to an AFP calculation based on official sources on both sides, at least 226 Palestinians, 32 Israelis, a Ukrainian, and an Italian have been killed this year.

They include fighters as well as civilians on the Palestinian side, and three Arab minority members on the Israeli side.