A second Palestinian was killed in the northern West Bank today during an Israeli military operation which claimed the life of Hamas' military leader in Jenin, the victim's family said.
Nidal Abu Mohsen, 19, was shot dead after the Israeli army used him as a "human shield" to go into the house where the Jenin military chief for the Islamic movement Hamas, Nasser Jarrar, was hiding in the town of Tubas, the family said.
They added he had no political affiliation. The army confirmed Abu Mohsen's death, saying he had been shot dead while trying to enter the house to negotiate with Jarrar.
However, the army strongly denied Abu Mohsen had been used as a human shield, although armed soldiers asked the 19-year-old to enter the house and then handed him a bullet proof vest.
"Several attempts were made to get Jarrar to turn himself over, including the use of loud-speakers, but he didn't respond," an army spokesman said.
"There was a Palestinian at the spot and we thought it would be best if a Palestinian would try and tell Jarrar to hand himself over peacefully, so we used loudspeakers to tell them he was coming in," he said, adding the teen entered the house alone.
But as Abu Mohsen opened the door, the soldiers saw him get shot in the head, the spokesman said, stressing that the army did not think those inside the house would shoot the teenager.
A senior military source said that after Abu Mohsen was shot, a gunfight broke out when the people inside the house opened fire on the army.
Jarrar died in the battle, the source added. The army said it was possible that more people had been killed in the gunfight.
"Judging from the amount of fire, which came from several directions within the house, there must have been more than just him there because he only has one hand and he couldn't have done that alone," the spokesman said.
A second Palestinian was wounded in the gun battle and the army arrested him before taking him to an Israeli hospital for treatment, he added.
Describing the operation as "complicated", the spokesman said the army went in to arrest Jarrar, not to kill him.
"These people have more value alive than dead because you can talk to them and find out information," he said.The army then blasted the house and Jarrar was later found dead under the rubble, Hamas members said.
AFP