Israeli forces kill Palestinian in Nablus as raids continue

dpa Ramallah/Tel Aviv A Palestinian man was shot dead during clashes with Israeli soldiers, the Palestinian Health Ministry in Ramallah said on Wednesday...

dpa Ramallah/Tel Aviv A Palestinian man was shot dead during clashes with Israeli soldiers, the Palestinian Health Ministry in Ramallah said on Wednesday, as tensions run high ahead of the Jewish holiday of Passover.The 34-year-old man Muhammad Hassan Muhammad Assaf was hit in the chest during the incident in Nablus, the ministry said. Assaf was the legal adviser to the Palestinian Authority’s committee against the wall and settlements, according to the ministry.The Palestinian Red Crescent reported that 31 people had been wounded in Nablus and the nearby village of Beita, including 10 people by live fire, six by rubber-coated bullets and 13 by tear gas.The Israeli army raided Beita and Lubban ash-Sharqiya, south of Nablus, at approximately 5am local time, according to the medical organisation. The army also raided the villages of Urif and Balata, east of Nablus, where an exchange of gunfire was reported at approximately 8:30am local time.The Israeli army did not immediately comment on Assaf’s killing. It said earlier that troops were “conducting counterterrorist operations” in Nablus and other West Bank cities.Israel has stepped up raids and arrests across the West Bank. Israeli forces have killed 16 Palestinians, including assailants, in the same period, according to an AFP count.