Israeli troops kill Palestinian in occupied West Bank in another bloody raid

Israeli forces killed one Palestinian, and wounded at least six others in the occupied West Bank on Thursday, the Palestinian Health Ministry said, the latest bloodshed in surging violence by Israel.

The ministry said the man, Saeb Azriqi, 24, was brought to a hospital in critical condition after being shot and died from his wounds. The Israeli military claimed their forces were operating in the Jenin refugee camp, which has been a focus of nearly a year of Israeli arrest raids. It did not immediately provide any other details.

Tensions between in the West Bank have soared since Israel launched the bloody raids last spring.

Thursday's violence brings the number of Palestinians killed this year to 21.

Nearly 150 Palestinians were killed by Israel last year in the West Bank alone, making 2022 the deadliest since 2004, according to the Israeli rights group B'Tselem.

Israel claims most of the dead were militants, but youths protesting the incursions and others not involved in the confrontations have also been killed.

Israel claims the raids are meant to dismantle militant networks and thwart future attacks. The Palestinians say they further entrench Israel's 55-year, open-ended occupation of lands they seek for their future state.

Israel captured the West Bank, east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip in the 1967 war and illegally annexed the territory in a move not recognised by the international community.