Israeli police gun down Palestinian at Rantis checkpoint

A Palestinian man was gunned down by Israeli forces near the Rantis crossing west of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, according to the Palestinian health ministry and the Israeli army.

On Friday, Israeli soldiers shot and killed 29-year-old Mahdi Biadsa as he approached the checkpoint in a car they claimed had been stolen, reports Al Jazeera.

The military added that Biadsa "attacked an IDF [Israel Defense Forces] soldier and attempted to steal his weapon" as the vehicle was being searched.

A Hamas official stated the incident proved that "resistance in the West Bank is ready and able to confront the crimes of the occupation," without claiming responsibility.

Tensions rise in the region as Israel's most conservative government increases the frequency of its military raids in the occupied territories.

At least 158 Palestinians, including 26 children, have been killed by Israeli forces since the beginning of the year, according to the Palestinian news agency Wafa.

The Israeli military killed 36 Palestinians throughout the course of a four-day assault on the blockaded Gaza Strip in May, contributing to the overall death toll, adds the Al Jazeera report.

Israel captured the West Bank and East Jerusalem in the 1967 Middle East War, and since then, more than 700,000 Israelis have made their homes in settlements there.