Palestinian security forces clash with militants in West Bank By Reuters

JENIN, West Bank (Reuters) – At least one person was killed when Palestinian security forces clashed with Palestinian militants and set up checkpoints on Saturday in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin, residents and doctors said.

Gunshots and explosions could be heard in the city, where friction has increased in recent days between militant factions and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ Western-backed Palestinian Authority (PA) following PA raids.

Residents identified the slain man as a militant, although neither faction immediately confirmed his affiliation.

The Palestinian Authority’s security branch said in a statement that its forces were carrying out a security operation to restore law and order in the historic refugee camp suburb of Jenin, a stronghold of Palestinian militants alienated from the Palestinian leadership. .

The Palestinian militant group Hamas, which has been fighting Israeli forces in Gaza for more than a year, condemned the Palestinian Authority for the Jenin operation and its allied group Islamic Jihad called for a day of protests.

Jenin has also been a flashpoint of conflict between Palestinian militant groups and the Israeli military in recent years. Since March 2022, Jenin and the northern outlying areas of the West Bank have been subject to intense Israeli raids following a series of Palestinian street attacks.