Palestinian man shot dead in West Bank by Israeli forces

By Emily Rose 

  JERUSALEM (Reuters) - A Palestinian man was shot dead in the early hours of Thursday during overnight Israeli raids in Qalandia refugee camp in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian health ministry said. 

  The West Bank, among areas where Palestinians seek a state, has seen a surge of violence since Israel stepped up operations in response to a series of street attacks in its cities last year. 

  While the Israeli military did not confirm the death, it said it had been operating in a number of locations in the West Bank, conducting arrests and confiscating weapons. While in Qalandia, the military said, it came under attack by locals and responded with dispersal methods and live fire. 

  "During the activity suspects hurled rocks and blocks from the rooftops aiming at soldiers operating beneath, risking their lives," said a military statement. "The soldiers responded with riot dispersal means and live ammunition." 

  Nabil Abu Rudeineh, spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, said Palestinians would begin taking "more decisive action" in confronting the ongoing Israeli operations, without going into further detail. 

  Six Palestinians have been killed in raids in the first two weeks of 2023, including three teenagers, according to Palestinian officials. No Israeli soldiers have been killed in the operations. 

  Separately, on Wednesday, in the southern West Bank, a Palestinian stabbed a Jewish settler at a farm and was shot dead, Yochai Damri, the head of local settlements, told Israel's Army Radio. It was not clear whether the wounded settler or someone else fired the shots, he said. 

  Israel says the raids are a security measure targeting suspected militants. Palestinians consider the raids a form of collective punishment and say they are fighting against decades of Israeli occupation. 

  (Reporting by Emily Rose, Ali Sawafta; Editing by Frank Jack Daniel and Andrew Heavens)