Israelis kill Hamas man in West Bank: Palestinians

NABLUS: Israeli soldiers killed a member of Hamas during a raid on a northern West Bank refugee camp on Wednesday, Palestinian security sources told AFP.

The Israeli military confirmed its soldiers had shot a Palestinian but had no information on whether he had died.

Palestinian security sources named the man as Ibrahim Sarhan, 21, and said he was shot dead as he emerged from a mosque during an Israeli arrest operation in Al-Fara camp.

The Israeli military said Sarhan was shot as its soldiers carried out "routine activity" at the refugee camp.

"One of the Palestinians tried to flee arrest, at which point the soldiers began an arrest procedure, eventually firing at his lower body," a spokeswoman told AFP.

"The soldiers identified a hit, and the man was evacuated by Palestinian medics." Palestinian prime minister Salam Fayyad accused the Israeli troops of holding up an ambulance on its way to the scene, leading to Sarhan's death.

"I strongly condemn the murder of Ibrahim Sarhan," he said in a statement. "I also condemn the continued policy of Israeli military invasions into the Palestinian territories and the shooting of civilians."

Seven Palestinians were arrested in the raid, the Israeli military spokeswoman said, adding that an explosive device was hurled at Israeli troops during the operation, causing no casualties.

Copyright APP (Associated Press of Pakistan), 2011