Israeli troops kill Palestinian in West Bank: health ministry

Israeli troops shot dead a Palestinian in the city of Nablus on the fifth day of military raids in the Occupied West Bank, the Palestinian health ministry said Wednesday.

"The young man, Muhammad Hassan Muhammad Assaf, 34, died after being shot in the chest by the Israeli occupation army during the aggression on the city of Nablus," the ministry said.

WAFA:
"The Palestinian Health Ministry announced the martyrdom of Assaf, a lawyer for the Resistance to
the Wall & Settlements Commission in the northern West Bank, after he was shot in the chest by Israeli forces during their aggression on the city of Nablus
this morning".

— Marian Houk (@Marianhouk) April 13, 2022

The Israeli army did not immediately comment but had said earlier that troops were "conducting counterterrorist operations" in Nablus and other West Bank cities.

The Palestinian Red Crescent medical service reported 31 people injured at the site and in a nearby village, including 10 people hit with live fire.

The Israeli army has stepped up raids and arrests across the West Bank after four attacks in Israel in the past three weeks left 14 people dead, including in a shooting rampage last week in central Tel Aviv.

Israeli forces have killed 16 Palestinians, including assailants, in the same period, according to AFP.

The Palestinian Prisoners Club meanwhile reported 14 new arrests overnight across the West Bank.

Israeli public radio said troops have entered Nablus to escort Israeli workers who are to repair the damage done by Palestinians days ago to a site Jews revere as the tomb of Joseph.

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has vowed that "we will not abide such an assault on a place that is holy to us - on the eve of Passover".