Israeli troops kill Palestinian man in latest spate of West Bank violence: Official 

Israeli forces operating in a refugee camp in the occupied West Bank shot and killed a Palestinian man on Monday, a Palestinian official said, the latest bloodshed in a yearlong wave of violence that has gripped the region.

The governor of Jericho, Jihad Abu al-Asal, told Palestinian media that the man, Suleiman Ayesh, was fatally shot in the Aqabat Jaber refugee camp in the central West Bank, which has repeatedly been the scene of fighting between Israeli troops and Palestinians in recent months.

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Abu al-Asal did not disclose the man’s age and there was no immediate comment from the Palestinian Health Ministry.

The Israeli military said it was operating in the area when two suspects were spotted fleeing. Soldiers opened fire and struck at least one of the suspects.

The violence comes as Israel is set to mark its Memorial Day for fallen soldiers and victims of militant attacks, beginning at sundown on Monday, followed by its 75th Independence Day the following evening. Starting Monday afternoon, Israel is set to close off the West Bank and the Gaza Strip to all Palestinians wishing to leave except for humanitarian cases, a closure that is expected to continue until late Wednesday. Israel regularly tightens its movement restrictions out of the West Bank and Gaza during holidays in what it says is a security precaution.

Israel raids during Ramadan

Violence between Israel and the Palestinians has spiked over the last year, Israel launched near-nightly arrest raids into West Bank cities, villages and towns.

Israeli security forces are seen during the expulsion of worshipers from al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem’s Old City following clashes with Palestinians in al-Aqsa Mosque on April 5, 2023. (AFP)

Israel says its raids are essential to dismantle militant networks and thwart future attacks, but violence has shown no sign of abating. The Palestinians say the raids entrench Israel’s 56-year, open-ended occupation of lands they seek for a future independent state.

Bloodshed has only intensified since the start of this year.

So far this year, Israel has killed 95 Palestinians in the West Bank, according to a tally by The Associated Press.

During that time, 19 people were killed in Palestinian attacks on Israelis.

Tensions have been particularly high over the last month, as Muslims marked the holy month of Ramadan, which this year coincided with the Jewish holiday of Passover.

Earlier this month, an Israeli police raid on Muslim worshippers at a sensitive Jerusalem holy site touched off rocket salvos from militants in Lebanon, the Gaza Strip and Syria, which Israel responded to with air strikes.

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