Israeli troops kill West Bank militant leader

Israeli troops shot dead a leader of the Islamic Jihad militant group in the occupied West Bank on Wednesday, Palestinian hospital officials and the Israeli army said.

Israeli forces operating in the West Bank town of Qabatiya, near the city of Jenin, killed Walid Obeidi in a gunfight, Palestinian witnesses said.

Two other Islamic Jihad militants were wounded and arrested by the Israeli troops, they said.

An Israeli army spokesman said Obeidi was killed during an exchange of fire with troops who came to arrest him.

Overnight in the West Bank city of Nablus and the Balata refugee camp, about 20 members of the Hamas Islamist group were arrested by Israeli troops, Palestinian security forces said.

Israeli forces frequently raid West Bank towns in search of militants suspected of involvement in attacks against Israelis.