Israeli forces kill Palestinian in occupied West Bank

Israeli forces have shot dead a Palestinian during protests in the flashpoint occupied West Bank city of Hebron, the latest in a surge of violence.

The 29-year-old Palestinian was shot and killed "with live ammunition", the Palestinian health ministry said in a statement on Friday.

The Palestinian Wafa news agency identified the dead man as Ahmad al-Atrash.

Asked by AFP news agency, the Israeli army had no immediate comment.

Hebron, the biggest city in the West Bank, is home to about 1,000 Jewish residents living under heavy Israeli military protection, among more than 200,000 Palestinians.

The clashes come amid heightened tensions ahead of the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Hebron hosts a holy site, known to Muslims as the Ibrahimi mosque and to Jews as the Cave of the Patriarch, which is revered by both faiths.

The Palestinian Red Crescent said it also treated 70 Palestinians wounded on Friday in the Nablus area of the northern West Bank.

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On Thursday, Israeli security forces killed two Palestinians in the West Bank city of Jenin, the health ministry said.

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Ramadan tensions last year escalated into an 11-day war between Israel and Hamas.

Israel occupied the West Bank from Jordan in the Six-Day War of 1967.

It has since built a string of settlements across the territory that are considered illegal under international law but are home to some 475,000 Israelis.

Peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians have been frozen for years.