Israeli Police Kill Palestinian in West Bank

Israeli police stated that "a suspect believed to be an armed Palestinian opened fire at an Israeli checkpoint in the occupied West Bank today, Saturday, injuring a security personnel before being shot dead by forces at the scene." The police published a photo of an M-16 rifle, indicating that "the assailant used it to fire at the Qalandiya checkpoint, resulting in injuries to a security personnel." They added, "His identity has not yet been determined, but he arrived on foot from within the West Bank." In turn, the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, affiliated with Fatah movement, announced that the assailant was one of their members. Residents reported that a few hours later, Israeli settlers set fire to at least two houses in the Palestinian village of Umm Safa near Ramallah. No injuries have been reported so far. Violence has escalated in the West Bank last week, where the Israeli army has been conducting regular raids for over a year, leading to recurrent clashes with Palestinian militants amid a series of attacks carried out by Palestinians in the streets targeting Israelis. The past few days have seen violent clashes in the city of Jenin and a shooting attack by two Palestinians that resulted in fatalities near a settlement, as well as attacks by settlers on Palestinian villages and a rare Israeli airstrike in the West Bank against militants.