A 21-year-old man was reportedly killed by Israeli fire near Nablus in the north of the occupied West Bank, as Israel's military said stone-throwers were targeted.
"Omar Abdelhakim Daoud, 21, was martyred by fire from occupation forces in the village of Salem east of Nablus," a Palestinian health ministry statement said.
An Israeli military spokesperson told AFP "several terrorists" had thrown stones at Israeli soldiers operating in the area, and that a hit was claimed when they opened fire.
Violence in the West Bank, which has been occupied by Israel since 1967, has escalated since the start of the war in Gaza, triggered by Hamas's unprecedented October 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel.
Daoud is the latest to die in an Israeli military operation begun on January 21 targeting armed groups in the northern West Bank.
According to a toll from the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) before the latest shooting, 74 Palestinians and three Israeli soldiers have been killed since the operation began.
Since the October 2023 attack, at least 911 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank by Israeli soldiers or settlers, according to the Palestinian health ministry.
Israeli official figures show that over the same period, at least 32 Israelis, including soldiers, have been killed in Palestinian attacks or during military operations in the West Bank.
All of Israel's settlements in the West Bank are considered illegal under international law.
Palestinian residents of Khirbet al-Marajim in the central West Bank said they came under attack overnight by Israeli settlers.
AFPTV footage recorded on Friday showed several burned homes and cars.
"I heard sounds of blows and objects breaking, followed by stones hitting the house," resident Nassim Muslim told AFP.
"Then I began to smell smoke. In less than five minutes, fire spread throughout the house."
In a statement, Israel's military said it intervened quickly "after Palestinians tried to steal livestock belonging to Israeli civilians near Khirbet al-Marajim".
With AFP
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