Israeli forces kill Palestinian militant in West Bank clashes
Israeli troops shot dead a Palestinian militant linked to Hamas during clashes in the West Bank city of Nablus, the Palestinian health ministry said.
The exchange of fire came just hours after Benjamin Netanyahu announced he had formed a new government, returning to power as the head of the most right-wing coalition in Israel's history.
The Palestinian health ministry said Ahmed Atef Daraghmeh, 23, a footballer from the nearby town of Tulkarem, sustained bullet wounds to the back and foot.
Islamist group Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, said Daraghmeh was a member of its military wing who "was killed by occupation bullets during clashes at dawn".
Hundreds of people took part in his funeral in the city of Tubas. The man's body was draped in a Hamas flag.
The Israeli army said its troops had entered Nablus to "secure the coordinated entrance of Israeli civilians to Joseph's Tomb", a contested religious site that Muslims believe houses the grave of a local sheikh, but many Jews revere as the burial place of the Biblical patriarch Joseph.
"Armed Palestinians hurled explosive devices and fired toward the soldiers, endangering their lives," the army said. "The soldiers responded with live fire. Hits were identified."
Nablus has seen frequent clashes between Israeli troops and Palestinian militants in recent months, as the army has stepped up operations in Palestinian towns and cities in response to a wave of deadly attacks on Israeli targets earlier this year.
