Palestinian shot dead by Israelis

Palestinians continue to clash with Israeli soldiers in the West Bank

A Palestinian man has been shot dead by Israeli troops who suspect he was involved in a recent suicide bombing.

The victim, identified as Muayyad Musa, was killed after forces surrounded a house in the village of Shufa near the West Bank town of Tulkarm.

The Israeli military said he was a member of Islamic Jihad, but this was denied by Palestinians.

Meanwhile, a Palestinian militant group is said to have kidnapped a senior Palestinian security official.

Witnesses said police intelligence officer Jihad Abed was taken from his car in Gaza City by the Jenin Martyrs' Brigade.

A Palestinian interior ministry spokesperson said the incident was being investigated, but the motive was not known.

Entering with dogs

Israeli military sources said they moved in to Shufa acting on "specific intelligence regarding the presence of a wanted Palestinian".

The army believes Muayyad Musa transported the suicide bomber who blew himself up in the Israeli coastal town Netanya earlier in the month, killing at least two people and wounding 30.

Palestinian security forces said the troops surrounded the house in Shufa and ordered out Mr Musa's father and two brothers, before entering the building with dogs.

"They opened fire and killed this man and arrested his two brothers," they were quoted by the AFP news agency as saying.

An Israeli military source told AFP that troops had heard movements in one of the rooms.

"They fired a shot towards the door to see if someone was there. Apparently a wanted Islamic Jihad terrorist involved in terrorist activity was killed."

Local residents of Shufa, and the Palestinian security forces, denied Mr Musa was a known member of any militant group.