Palestinian shot dead in Israeli army raid in Bethlehem

Israeli soldiers shot dead a 19-year-old Palestinian as clashes broke out during a raid at a refugee camp in the West Bank town of Bethlehem Tuesday, Palestinian medics and the Israeli army said.

After the incident at the Dheisheh refugee camp, clashes also broke out at Aida, another camp in Bethlehem, official Palestinian news agency Wafa reported.

The person killed was identified as Malek Shahin, but the reason for the raid was not yet clear.

According to the Israeli army, soldiers entering Dheisheh were targeted with pipebombs and Molotov cocktails.

"Forces fired warning shots into the air in order to disperse the mob and prevent an escalation of violence," a military spokeswoman said.

She could not confirm the death of the Palestinian but said the military was looking into it.

Since October 1, almost daily attacks and clashes between Palestinians and Israeli soldiers have killed 112 on the Palestinian side, 17 Israelis, an American and an Eritrean.

Many of the Palestinians killed have been attackers, while others have been shot dead by Israeli security forces during clashes.

A 26-year-old Palestinian suspected of carrying out an knife attack in October near the West Bank city of Nablus was arrested overnight, according to Israel's Shin Bet security service.

Bassel Mahmud Abu Ali, who was wounded in the October 30 attack but managed to escape, was arrested in Ramallah, according to Shin Bet.
Source: AFP