Israeli troops kill Palestinian gunman: medics

NABLUS, West Bank, Dec 16 (Reuters) Israeli troops shot and killed a Palestinian gunman during a raid in the occupied West Bank town of Nablus, local medical officials said.

An Israeli army spokesman said troops had come under attack by local residents who threw makeshift explosive devices at them during an arrest raid in the town and that they had identified hitting one of three gunmen they had spotted.

Medical officials said 19-year-old Amin Makhlouf died of his wounds at a local hospital. He was identified as a member of al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, an armed wing of President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah faction.

Israel has pressed its raids against suspected militants and patrols in the West Bank despite a truce declared last month in the Gaza Strip, another territory where Palestinians want statehood.

Reuters LL DS1153