Hamas commander killed in clashes in the West Bank – Naharnet

Hamas says one of its commanders in the occupied West Bank was killed in a clash with Israeli forces.

In a statement issued late Monday, Hamas said Mohammed Jaber Abdo was killed along with three other fighters in a village near Ramallah, where the Western-backed Palestinian Authority is based. It said Abdo spent 20 years in Israeli prisons.

A joint statement from the Israeli army and police issued earlier on Monday said secret forces had tracked down a suspect in the attack on a nearby Jewish settlement.

It was determined that the man was hiding in the area with three other suspects and that officers opened fire as they tried to run him over with a car and escape. They said a gun was found in the car.

Since the beginning of the Gaza war, which was sparked by a Hamas attack on southern Israel, violence has increased in the West Bank.

Since then, more than 530 Palestinians have died in Israeli fire, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health. Most were killed during violent protests or Israeli arrest raids, which often end in shootings.

Israel captured the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem during the 1967 Middle East War. The Palestinians want all three territories for their future state.