Israeli forces kill Palestinian in West Bank: Palestinian ministry

Jerusalem, Undefined (AFP):

Israeli forces killed Wednesday a Palestinian man during a raid in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian health ministry said.

Mahmoud Jamal Hassan Hamdan, 22, died from “serious wounds inflicted by bullets of the occupation (Israel)” during the raid, a statement from the Palestinian health ministry said.

The Israeli army said soldiers fired at two people who tried to flee after they entered the Aqabat Jabr refugee camp near Jericho to arrest suspects in the Monday shooting attack in the same area.

Hamdan died before arriving at Jerusalem’s Hadassa hospital, a spokesperson there said.

Jihad Abu al-Assad, governor of Jericho, told AFP Hamdan had sustained serious injuries.

The latest deaths came amid a surge in violence in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, specifically in the West Bank, which Israel has occupied since the Six-Day War of 1967.

Late Sunday, the Palestinian town of Huwara came under attack by Israeli settlers, hours after two Israeli settlers — brothers Yagel Yaniv, 20, and Hallel Yaniv, 22 — were shot dead as they drove through the northern West Bank town.

Dozens of Israeli settlers set homes and cars ablaze and hurled stones in Huwara overnight.

Since the start of the year, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has claimed the lives of 64 Palestinian adults and children.

Thirteen Israelis and one Ukrainian civilian have been killed over the same period, according to an AFP tally based on official sources from both sides.

On Sunday, Israeli and Palestinian officials pledged in a joint statement to “prevent further violence” and “commit to de-escalation” following talks in Jordan.