JERUSAELM (AP) — Israeli troops shot and killed an alleged Palestinian gunman during new unrest in the West Bank Monday, as a wave of violence in the occupied territory showed no signs of slowing.
The Israeli military said troops stopped a motorist in Deir Nidham, a town west of Ramallah, to question him. It said the man got out of his car, threw a grenade and fired shots toward soldiers, who then opened fire.
The Palestinian Health Ministry confirmed that a 33-year-old man had been killed, but gave no further details.
The death comes during a major spike in violence between Israel and the Palestinians. Last week, Israel concluded a fierce two-day offensive that used rare air power and hundreds of troops in what was designed as a crackdown against militants.
But the operation in the Jenin refugee camp was followed by more bloodshed, including a shooting by a Palestinian assailant that killed an Israeli soldier. A Israeli military raid killed two militants, while a third Palestinian was killed during a demonstration later in the day in the central West Bank.
Israel has been conducting stepped-up raids into Palestinian areas since the spring of 2022 in response to a spate of Palestinian attacks. The violence has intensified this year, driving up the death toll on both sides. More than 150 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire since the start of the year, while at least 26 people have been killed in Palestinian attacks against Israelis.
Israel says most of those killed have been militants. But stone-throwing youths protesting the incursions and others not involved in the confrontations also have been killed.
Israel captured the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem in the 1967 Mideast war, areas the Palestinians want for their hoped-for independent state.
