West Bank: Palestinian killed by Israeli fire in Hebron settlement

A Palestinian man was killed by Israeli fire on Friday morning in a settlement south of Hebron city in the occupied West Bank.

Alaa Khalil Qaysieh, 28, was shot dead in Teneh Omarim, an Israeli settlement built on the lands of Ad-Dhahiriya town in Hebron governorate, according to the official Palestinian news agency Wafa.

The Israeli military alleged Qaysieh crawled under an unguarded iron gate to enter the settlement and was carrying a knife. 

A member of the settlement's armed guards shot him dead, claiming he attempted to stab a settler near a synagogue, Ynet reported.

No Israelis were hurt.

The Palestinian ministry of health later said it was informed of Qaysieh's death by the Israeli authorities.  

Teneh Omarim was established in 1983 and houses almost 1,000 settlers, heavily guarded by the Israeli military. 

Nearly 700,000 settlers live in more than 250 settlements and outposts across the West Bank and East Jerusalem in violation of international law.

At least 118 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank so far this year, with another 34 killed in Gaza. A total of 18 Israelis have been killed by Palestinians over the same period.

Earlier this week, the Israeli army conducted a large-scale operation in a refugee camp in the West Bank city of Nablus, killing three Palestinians and wounding six others.