Palestinian killed by Israeli troops in West Bank raid

GlobalPost

A suspected Palestinian militant was shot dead by Israeli troops early Tuesday during a West Bank raid.

According to an Israeli army spokesman, Islam Tubasi was trying to flee and was hit when troops returned fire after being shot at by rioters. Tubasi's family said the man, in his early 20s, was shot when the Israeli troops entered their home.

Tubasi's brother, Mustafa, said troops first shot the victim in the leg before dragging him outside, when Mustafa said he heard more gunshots.

In a statement, the Israeli Defense Forces said soldiers entered the West Bank city of Jenin during the night in order to arrest "a wanted terrorist" when a riot erupted. It continued to say that the soldiers were attacked with Molotov cocktails, improvised grenades and live fire, causing them to respond in self-defense.

The IDF said Tubasi, allegedly a member of the militant group Islamic Jihad, was the target of the operation.

"Amidst the turmoil, the target of the activity was identified attempting to flee the area. The security forces managed to detain the suspect using live fire," a military statement said.

"The wanted suspect was injured, evacuated by military forces for further treatment and later died of his wounds in an Israeli hospital."

Tubasi is the fourth Palestinian killed in the West Bank since peace talks between Israel and Palestinians resumed in July.

Israeli soldiers have killed 15 Palestinians this year.

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