Jerusalem: Israeli soldiers shot and killed a suspected Palestinian gunman during an arrest raid overnight in the northern West Bank, according to Israeli and Palestinian reports. The army said it spotted a group of armed men travelling in a car and on a motorcycle during an operation near the city of Nablus and opened fire. The Den of Lions, a local militant group, said one of its members, Sayid al-Kuni, was killed in a clash with the occupation forces".
Israel has been conducting nightly arrest raids in the northern West Bank since a series of deadly Palestinian attacks inside Israel last spring. Some of the attackers came from the area. Dozens of Palestinians have been killed, making 2022 the deadliest year in the occupied territory since 2016. Most of the Palestinians killed have been wanted militants or young men and teenagers who throw stones or firebombs at soldiers invading their towns.
But some civilians, including an Al Jazeera journalist and a lawyer who inadvertently drove into a battle zone, have also been killed in the violence. Last week, members of the Den of Lions briefly clashed with Palestinian security forces in Nablus. The group views the Palestinian Authority as a vehicle of corruption and collaboration with Israel. (AP)
