JERUSALEM, Nov. 21 (Xinhua) -- Israeli forces shot dead a Palestinian man in the occupied West Bank on Friday after a manhunt for a gunman accused of wounding an Israeli soldier, Israeli officials said.

The Palestinian Health Ministry identified the man as Younes Waleed Mohammad Shtayyeh, 24.

In a joint statement, the Israeli military, the Shin Bet security agency and the Border Police said Shtayyeh was a member of the Palestinian Authority (PA) police. The statement said troops spotted him in the town of Tell, near Nablus, holding a rifle and firing at Israeli forces, who returned fire and killed him. Israel accused him of shooting and injuring an Israeli reserve soldier during operations in the area on Thursday.

The Palestinian news agency WAFA said Israeli special forces entered Tell, surrounded Shtayyeh's home, and fired live rounds and stun grenades, wounding him before detaining him.

He later died of his injuries, WAFA said, adding that Israel is withholding his body. It did not report that he was affiliated with the PA police.

The Israeli statement said troops also arrested three other suspects in separate raids in Tell, the town of Burqin, and the Far'a refugee camp, alleging all were members of the Palestinian police.

The West Bank has witnessed a sharp escalation of violence since Oct. 7, 2023, resulting in the deaths of around 1,000 Palestinians, hundreds of injuries, and the demolition of dozens of homes, according to Palestinian statistics.

Israel captured the West Bank and East Jerusalem in the 1967 Middle East war. The settlements it has built there, and its military occupation, are considered illegal under international law. Enditem