Palestinian killed by Israeli forces during West Bank clash

A Palestinian man was killed during a clash with Israeli forces in the northern occupied West Bank early Monday, security and medical sources said.

The Palestinian sources identified the man as Jamil Al-Kayyal, 31, saying he died as a result of bullet shots to his head following a clash in the Ras Al-Ain area in the city of Nablus.

According to Israeli police, special forces officers backed up by soldiers had arrested a suspect in Nablus and seized a semi-automatic weapon.

"When the special forces finished their operation and exited the site, rioters hurled explosive devices at them from a short range, risking their lives," police said in a statement.

"The forces responded with fire toward the attackers, and appeared to have hit one of them, who was evacuated from the scene by Red Crescent" medics, the statement said.

While Israel does not have a permanent presence in Palestinian cities in the West Bank, forces will carry out raids and arrests there according to security needs, with clashes ensuing from time to time.

Excluding annexed east Jerusalem, about 475,000 Israeli settlers live in fortified communities in the West Bank, which is home to more than 2.8 million Palestinians.

Palestinians eye the West Bank, which Israel captured in the Six-Day War of 1967, as part of their future state, while hardline Israelis, including Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, say it is a heartland of Jewish history.