Israeli forces killed Palestinian in West Bank, say Palestinian authorities

Palestinian officials said on Tuesday that a Palestinian man was killed in gunfire in the occupied West bank. The Palestinian health ministry said that Shadi Omar Lotfi Salim (41) was shot dead near flashpoint Palestinian village of Beita

AFP quoted Beita deputy mayor Mussa Hamayel as saying that Israeli soldiers killed the man as he entered the village as he came back from work.

"He was killed in cold blood," the deputy mayor alleged, adding that there had been no protests in the area Tuesday night.

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The Israeli army issued a statement saying that while on routine duty soldiers "spotted a Palestinian suspect in the area," south of Nablus.

"When the Palestinian began advancing rapidly towards the troop with a suspicious object identified as an iron bar in his hand, the troop operated to stop the suspect following the standard procedures, including by firing warning shots into the air," the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) said in a statement.

"When the suspect continued advancing, the commander of the troop fired towards the suspect. The incident will be investigated," it said

Since May, Beita has been the scene of frequent unrest.

(With inputs from agencies)