Israel kills Palestinian security officer
A Palestinian intelligence officer has been shot dead by Israeli soldiers in the West Bank town of Ramallah.
Ayman Khateb was killed during a shootout with an Israeli military unit on Thursday. Palestinian security sources told Aljazeera that Israeli soldiers in civilian clothes had entered Ramallah and once they were discovered, called for back-up.
When the Israeli reinforcements arrived a firefight began with Palestinian armed men, during which a number of Palestinians youth were injured.
Palestinian sources claim Khateb was shot in the head at close range by the Israeli unit which had been sent to arrest him.
The Israeli army says that soldiers shot dead a Palestinian armed man who had opened fire on them.
The Israeli army carries out frequent raids to detain suspected fighters in the West Bank.
Ismail Haniya, the Palestinian prime minister, has demanded that Israel immediately halt its “killings and bombings”.
“We have always expressed our willingness to establish calm and stability in the region. For us to do that, the Israeli side has to stop the blind killings and bombings of civilians and children,” Haniya said.