Israeli troops killed two Palestinian militants in separate raids in the West Bank today, Palestinian security officials and the Israeli army said.
An undercover unit operating in Ramallah killed a man and wounded four others while another squad operating in a village near the northern town of Jenin killed a second man.
Both dead men belonged to the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, a militant offshoot of President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah faction.
The man killed in Ramallah was named by Palestinians as Omar Abdel-Halim, 24. He was also a member of a security force loyal to Abbas and had long been sought by Israel .
A restaurant owner said he saw the undercover troops shoot the man in the leg before killing him. Television footage showed what appeared to be bullet wounds in the leg and head.
An army spokeswoman confirmed that in both cases troops had opened fire at men who had been spotted carrying weapons. The soldiers did not come under fire beforehand, however, she said.
Palestinian Information Minister Mustafa al-Barghouthi said the man in Ramallah was killed "in cold blood".
Yesterday Israeli troops detained a top militant from al-Aqsa whom the army said was involved in deadly attacks against Israelis.