Israeli troops kill Palestinian during raid to arrest senior West Bank militant

The Palestinian Health Ministry says at least one Palestinian has been killed and another wounded during an Israeli military raid in Jenin

Palestinians carry a body in the West Bank city of Jenin on Tuesday night. EPA

Israeli commandos killed a Palestinian during a raid in a flashpoint West Bank town and arrested a leader of the Islamic Jihad militant group, the health ministry and residents said.

There were no immediate details on the identity of the man who was killed in Jenin. The town has been the focus of raids after local men carried out a series of deadly street attacks in Israeli cities this year.

An Israeli police representative said commandos disguised as Palestinians entered Jenin to make two arrests and came under fire. They shot back, hitting several gunmen, and left without suffering casualties.

The Israeli military said security forces also arrested two suspects and confiscated a handgun, ammunition and cash.

Islamic Jihad, a Palestinian militant group that has carried out dozens of attacks on Israelis over the years, said the Jenin raid went after one of its leaders, Bassam Al Saadi.

It was not clear if he was arrested or wounded. The group said it was going “on alert” and raising its readiness.

Jenin, home to a large refugee camp, has long been as a bastion of Palestinian resistance.

Israel captured the West Bank in the 1967 war and has built more than 130 settlements across the territory that are home to nearly 500,000 Jewish settlers.

The Palestinians want the West Bank, home to about 3 million Palestinians, to form the main part of their future state.

The West Bank, among areas where Palestinians seek statehood, has experienced simmering violence since US-sponsored peace talks with Israel broke down in 2014.

The Islamic Jihad group rejects coexistence with Israel.