Palestinian killed in early morning clash with troops

Israeli forces killed one Palestinian man and wounded another in a firefight in the West Bank early Tuesday morning, officials said.

The army said special forces shot the man after coming under fire during an arrest raid in the Qalandiya refugee camp north of Jerusalem during an operation.

The killed Palestinian man was identified as Mahmoud Adwan, 20, the Palestinian Ma’an news agency reported. He was hit in the head with a bullet, according to the report.

Troops opened fire at the man after he hurled an improvised explosive device at them, the IDF said in a statement.

Several explosive devices were thrown at troops during the clash, according to the IDF.

The army said it “confirmed a hit” and another man was wounded and detained for questioning. The nature of his injuries were not clear.

There were no injuries on the Israeli side, according to media reports.

The army said it had opened an investigation into the incident.

Seven Palestinians, including a Hamas member, were arrested during raids across the West Bank overnight, the IDF said.

Qalandiya has been the site of a number of violent clashes between troops and Palestinians. In August 2013, three Palestinians were killed and over a dozen more injured when Israeli troops opened fire after coming under attack. The killings prompted harsh condemnations from Ramallah and threatened to derail peace talks.

On July 25, 2014, two Palestinians were killed after Israeli troops opened fire during a large riot near the Qalandiya checkpoint, which links Jerusalem to Ramallah. The army later said its troops had been fired upon.

Tuesday morning’s clash is the first serious exchange of fire in several months between Israeli troops and Palestinians during overnight raids in the West Bank, though the same period saw an uptick in attacks on Israeli civilians.

The shooting came two days after Ramallah said it would maintain security ties with Israeli forces, despite having threatened to end cooperation in the wake of the death of a senior Palestinian Authority official after a confrontation with troops last week.