NABLUS, Palestinian Territories: A Palestinian man was killed Tuesday in the occupied West Bank by Jewish settlers, a local official said, with the Israeli army reporting a soldier shot a suspect during a disturbance.
Fakhr Bassem Bani Jaber was 鈥渉it by a bullet in the heart鈥� while he was standing in front of his house in Khirbet Al-Tawil, a hamlet outside Aqraba, said Aqraba Mayor Salah Bani Jaber.
The 43-year-old was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead, the mayor added.
The mayor said settlers from the neighboring settlement of Gitit, including 鈥渢hree in military uniform,鈥� shot Bani Jaber and left quickly.
When AFP sought the military鈥檚 comment on the mayor鈥檚 account, a spokesman said the army received a report of 鈥渇riction鈥� between an Israeli child and a Palestinian.
The spokesman added that troops opened fire at one of the suspects, who was shot, and the incident was under investigation.
Since the start of the war in the Gaza Strip, triggered by the Hamas attack on October 7 in Israel, violence has intensified in the West Bank.
According to the health ministry in Ramallah, Israeli troops and settlers have killed at least 430 Palestinians in the West Bank since the Gaza war began.
The Israeli army also reported that a Palestinian had been 鈥渘eutralized鈥� Tuesday in a confrontation with two members of the Shin Bet security agency.
The incident happened in the area of Gush Etzion Junction in the West Bank, south of Jerusalem. The army identified the man as a 30-year-old Palestinian.