Israeli national found shot dead in West Bank

Ramallah, June 22

An Israeli national was found shot dead in a Palestinian town in the northern West Bank on Saturday, Israel’s army said, as violence surges in the occupied territory.

The army said the man was pronounced dead after being fatally shot in the town of Qalqilya, and that Israeli troops were currently operating in the area. Saturday’s announcement came a day after Israeli forces shot dead two militants in the same West Bank town. No further details were made public.

Violence has flared in the West Bank since the Israel-Hamas war erupted last October. Since then, Palestinians in the West Bank have killed at least nine Israelis, including five soldiers, according to UN data.

Israeli nationals are prohibited from entering Qalqilya and other areas of the West Bank that fall under the under the control of the Palestinian Authority.

In April, the death of a 14-year-old Israeli settler sparked a series of settler attacks on Palestinian towns in the territory. The army said the boy was murdered, and later arrested a Palestinian in connection with the killing.

In 2014, the abduction and killing of three Israeli teens in the West Bank escalated tensions and eventually ignited a 50-day Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, at the time the deadliest round of fighting between the two sides. — AP