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Israeli troops kill Palestinian youth, wound three in West Bank

Nineteen-year-old suffered a mortal wound in the neck, while three others were wounded by live gunshots to their limbs during a raid in Jenin refugee camp, says Palestine's Health Ministry.

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More than 120 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli soldiers in occupied territories of West Bank and East Jerusalem this year.

Israeli troops have killed a Palestinian youth and wounded three others in the occupied West Bank, Palestine's Health Ministry said amid increased tensions in the region.

The ministry said the 19-year-old suffered a mortal wound in the neck, while three others were wounded by live gunshots to their limbs.

The violence happened as Israeli forces staged an arrest raid in the Jenin refugee camp, a spot in the northern West Bank that has been a flash point in recent fighting.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military.

Palestinian health officials also said a 16-year-old Palestinian died after being wounded in clashes with Israeli troops late last month.

Mohammed Fadi Nuri was shot in the stomach last month by Israeli troops near the city of Ramallah and died on Thursday.

Illegal settlers target Palestinians

Earlier, ultranationalist illegal Jewish settlers stormed through a Palestinian town in the occupied West Bank, the Israeli military said, throwing stones at Palestinian cars and using pepper spray on troops who were trying to disperse the settlers.

The rampage took place near Huwara, a Palestinian town in the northern West Bank near the city of Nablus, where a group of disaffected youth has taken up arms against Israel and in frustration with the Palestinian leadership's close security ties to it.

The military said dozens of illegal settlers ran through the town, throwing rocks at Palestinian cars. The settlers used pepper spray on the battalion commander as well as another soldier. The Jewish settlers sprayed another two soldiers at a nearby checkpoint, the military said.

Police said the settlers fled the scene by car. They said a 20-year-old suspect was arrested and that more arrests were expected.

In a statement, the military's chief of staff, Lieutenant General Aviv Kohavi, condemned the violence.

"This is a very serious incident that embodies shameful and disgraceful criminal behavior that demands strict and swift justice," he said. In a tweet, Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid called the settlers, "dangerous criminals."

Critics accuse Israel of turning a blind eye to settler violence against Palestinians and treating them with impunity while being heavy-handed with Palestinian assailants or protesters.

Settler violence has in the past also led to confrontations with soldiers which often sparks condemnations from politicians but rarely leads to a solution to the problem.

Strike in West Bank

Meanwhile, the Palestinians launched a general strike throughout the West Bank and East Jerusalem in response to the death of a suspected Palestinian fighter.

The strike targeted all sectors except for vital services like hospitals or bakeries.

Some schools were also closed. It was called to mourn the shooting death of Uday Tamimi, the alleged Palestinian gunman who killed an Israeli soldier earlier this month. Tamimi was the subject of a more than weeklong manhunt that culminated when he allegedly opened fire at a security guard at an occupied West Bank settlement on Wednesday.

Deadliest year for Palestinians since 2015

More than 120 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli soldiers during unrest in the occupied territories of West Bank and East Jerusalem this year, making 2022 the deadliest year since 2015.

Israel captured the West Bank in the 1967 Mideast war, along with East Jerusalem and Gaza.

Some 500,000 illegal Jewish settlers now live in the West Bank in some 130 settlements.

SOURCE: TRTWorld and agencies