Militant killed in Israeli raid

The raid was aimed at arresting militants, the Israeli army said

A Palestinian militant has been shot dead by Israeli troops during an arrest raid in the West Bank city of Nablus.

The man, in his 20s, was identified by Palestinian sources as a member of the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades.

The Israeli army said he had been killed in a gun battle started by gunmen during the raid.

Also on Friday, fuel supplies have begun arriving at petrol stations in the West Bank, diffusing a mounting crisis over petrol shortages.

Israeli company Dor Energy, which is the sole supplier of petrol and cooking gas to the Palestinian territories, agreed on Thursday resume deliveries.

Supplies had been cut off because of unpaid Palestinian Authority bills totalling about $26m, and petrol stations across the West Bank had been closing as they ran out of fuel.

It was the latest sign of a financial crisis following the rise to power of the Hamas-led government.

Western donors have cut off direct financial aid, and Israel has been withholding $55m a month in tax and customs revenues that it collects on the Palestinians' behalf.