Israeli forces kill Palestinian gunman during West Bank clash

NABLUS, West Bank (Reuters) - Israeli forces killed a Palestinian gunman in the occupied West Bank on Thursday in clashes that erupted during a house demolition, Palestinian officials said.

The Israeli military said its forces came under fire while they working to destroy the house of a Palestinian man who had killed an Israeli soldier in 2022 and shot back at gunmen.

The Palestinian Health Ministry said one man was killed in the clashes and Palestinian armed groups identified him as a fighter. Nabil Abu Rudeineh, a spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, condemned the Israeli actions.

Palestinians and rights groups say home demolitions of assailants are collective punishment that breach international law. Israel says it is a measure that deters others from mounting deadly attacks.

The West Bank, among territories where Palestinians seek statehood, has experienced a surge of violence over the last 15 months. U.S.-brokered peace talks broke down in 2014 and show no sign of revival.

(Reporting by Raneen Sawafta, Ali Sawafta, Nidal al-Mughrabi and Maayan Lubell; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore)