An Israeli soldier died after being struck in the head by a rock thrown from a rooftop during an arrest raid in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday, the military said.
The incident was a departure from a relative lull in lethal violence in the West Bank as Palestinians and Israelis have curbed movements and, to a degree, cooperated on measures in response to the coronavirus crisis.
But tensions are stirring as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu plans to swear in on Thursday a new coalition government whose agenda includes a possible declaration of sovereignty over Jewish settlements and the strategic Jordan Valley in the West Bank - a de facto annexation.
The Israeli military said the soldier, a 21-year-old conscript, was struck in the head by a rock thrown from a rooftop in Yabad village, near Jenin, as his special-forces unit withdrew after detaining four Palestinians.
"Israel's long arm will reach the terrorist and settle the score with him," Netanyahu said on Twitter.
Tuesday's raid was aimed at arresting four Palestinians wanted for stone-throwing at Israeli vehicles and other recent attacks. It comes a day after Israeli forces demolished the home of a Palestinian accused of being behind a deadly blast in the West Bank last year.
Israel says 22-year-old Qassem Barghouti carried out the attack last August that killed 17-year-old Israeli Rina Shnerb and wounded her father and brother near the settlement of Dolev. As the demolition took place Monday, dozens of Palestinians burned tires and hurled rocks and firebombs toward Israeli troops. Several Palestinians were wounded in the ensuing clashes.
The uptick comes as US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is expected to arrive Wednesday for a quick visit to discuss Israeli plans to annex large parts of the West Bank as early as this summer.
The Palestinians want the West Bank for a future state and deem Israeli settlements there illegal, as do most world powers. Israel and the United States dispute that view.
US-backed peace talks broke down in 2014.
