Palestinian dies a day after clash with Israeli forces

A Palestinian died Friday after being wounded a day earlier in clashes with Israeli forces in the south of the occupied West Bank, a Palestinian hospital official said.

Mohammed Ismail Jawabreh, 22, died after being shot in the head on Thursday "during clashes with occupation forces" in Al-Aroub camp north of Hebron, said the official at the city's Al-Ahly hospital, requesting anonymity as they were not authorized to speak to the media.

An Israeli army spokesman said soldiers had pursued "masked suspects" who had been throwing rocks towards civilian vehicles on the West Bank's main north-south road.

"During the pursuit, a violent riot was instigated, in which the masked suspects hurled rocks and stone blocks from rooftops at the soldiers, endangering their lives," the spokesman added. 

"The soldiers responded with riot dispersal means and .22 caliber rounds," he said, adding one of the suspects was hit.

Separately, the Palestinian health ministry said "two Palestinians were seriously wounded by settler gunfire" on Friday in the Palestinian town of Qusra, in the north of the West Bank.

Palestinian news agency Wafa said Israeli "settlers attacked the homes of civilians in the south of the town, prompting residents to defend themselves", adding that the two Palestinians were wounded in an exchange of fire.

A military spokesman told AFP that after reports of a "violent confrontation between Palestinians and Israelis adjacent to the town of Qusra... soldiers arrived to the scene and responded with riot dispersal means".

"We are aware of reports regarding Palestinians who were evacuated to a hospital as a result of gunshot wounds," the spokesman added.

Since the start of this year, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has claimed the lives of 62 Palestinian adults and children, including militants and civilians.

Nine Israeli civilians, including three children, a police officer and one Ukrainian civilian have been killed over the same period, according to an AFP tally based on official sources from both sides.