RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) – Israeli troops shot dead a mentally ill Palestinian during a raid in a West Bank refugee camp early Sunday, the army said, while another Palestinian was killed in unclear circumstances during a night of violent confrontations in the West Bank city of Ramallah.
In Ramallah, stone-throwers clashed separately with Israeli troops and Palestinian police, and witnesses said both security forces responded with live fire.
Sunday’s deaths brought to four the number of Palestinians killed since Israel launched its most extensive military operation in the West Bank in years in response to the apparent abduction of three Israeli teens on June 12.
As part of the crackdown, Israel has been trying to dismantle the Islamic militant Hamas in the West Bank, which it has blamed for the kidnapping, without providing proof.
Increasingly, Israeli troops raiding towns and refugee camps at night have been met by crowds of Palestinians throwing stones at them. There have also been signs of growing anger among Palestinians at President Mahmoud Abbas, who has defended his decision to continue security coordination with Israeli troops in finding the teens.