Israel forces gun down Palestinian youth in northern West Bank

The forces killed the 27-year-old Palestinian youth on Friday near the town of Qalqilyah.

The victim was shot dead during clashes that had erupted following a raid by the forces in the area, the Palestinian Authority's health ministry said.

Earlier in the day, unknown gunmen shot and killed an Israeli security guard at the entrance to the illegal Israeli settlement of Ariel in north-central West Bank.

The incident saw two suspects driving up to the entrance, shooting the officer at the security post there, and then fleeing the scene, an Israeli army spokesman said.

“When we arrived at the scene, we saw a man in his twenties unconscious with gunshot wounds, he was not breathing and had no pulse,” a medic with the Magen David Adom ambulance service told The Times of Israel.

The Israeli army has launched a far-and-wide manhunt for the assailants.

No person or group has claimed responsibility for that incident so far.

The Israeli regime began escalating its recurrently-deadly attacks against Palestinians in the run-up to Ramadan and sustained the violence throughout the holy fasting month, stirring up anti-Tel Aviv sentiments throughout the occupied territories.

Since last months, at least 25 Palestinians and 14 Israelis have been killed during either shooting attacks or clashes.