New Palestinian armed group Lions' Den says Israel 'assassinated' member amid Nablus siege

A Palestinian armed group has accused Israel of assassinating one of its members Sunday in the besieged city of Nablus, in the occupied West Bank.

In a statement posted to Telegram, the Lions' Den, a Nablus-based, multifactional group of Palestinian fighters, said Israel "put a sticky TNT device as the way to assassinate" Tamer al-Kilani.

A video shared by the group on their social media channels purportedly shows an individual bringing Kilani’s motorcycle into an alley in the city and attaching a device to a motorcycle.

They declared Sunday a day of mourning for Kilani, who they described as one of their "fiercest fighters", and called on all Palestinians to attend his funeral in Nablus.

The Palestinian health ministry confirmed the 33-year-old father's death, saying the killing had brought the number of Palestinians killed in the West Bank this year to 126.

The Israeli army began a siege on the city of Nablus two weeks ago after an Israeli soldier was killed in the city in an attack claimed by the Lions' Den.

The army has launched near-daily raids into the West Bank over the past few months, many focused in and around Nablus, following a series of attacks inside Israel.

The Lions' Den, which is not affiliated with existing Palestinian factions, and other armed groups have emerged to resist the Israeli incursions.

Last week, Israeli forces arrested 25 people in the occupied West Bank, and attacked journalists in the village of Deir Sharaf, west of Nablus.

There have also been more than 100 attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in less than a fortnight, Haaretz reported Thursday.

The Israeli military refused to confirm its involvement in the killing when contacted by AFP.

An army spokeswoman said Kilani was involved in attacks targeting Israelis and had previously been jailed by Israel.

Agencies contributed to this report