Palestinian man shot dead by Israel army in occupied West Bank

A young Palestinian man has been killed by the Israeli army at a refugee camp in the north of the occupied West Bank.

Bakir Hashash, 21, was shot in the head after the Israeli army conducted a raid on the Balata refugee camp early on Thursday in the province of Nablus.

Amin Abu Virde, a Palestinian journalist taking shelter in the refugee camp, said that Palestinian resistance fighters responded to the raid with arms fire and Hashash was heavily wounded in the conflict that followed.

The Israeli army said its troops had shot at an armed man who fired on soldiers during an operation to arrest a wanted suspect in Nablus.

"A casualty was identified," the army said, adding that there were no casualties among its troops.

After being taken to Rafidia Surgical Hospital, the young Palestinian succumbed to his wounds despite all efforts.

The Israeli forces detained another Palestinian while retreating from the camp, Virde added.

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Arrest campaigns

The Israeli army frequently carries out wide-ranging arrest campaigns across the occupied West Bank and occupied East Jerusalem on the pretext of searching for “wanted” Palestinians.

In response to Israeli raids, Palestinian youths often hurl stones or Molotov cocktails, and the Israeli army uses metal bullets and tear gas canisters to disperse them.

Israel has illegally occupied the territory since the Six-Day War of 1967.

Excluding annexed East Jerusalem, some 475,000 Israelis live in settlements in the occupied West Bank regarded as illegal under international law, alongside more than 2.8 million Palestinians.

READ MORE: Israeli army kills Palestinian man in occupied West Bank