Palestinian killed early today by Israeli fire during a military operation in a refugee camp near Jericho in the occupied West Bank, according to the Palestinian health ministry, as violence escalates shortly before a meeting with the Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu with the American president Joe Biden.

19-year-old Nurgam al-Akhras was killed “by a bullet to the head” in the Aqabat Jaber refugee camp, the ministry said without giving further details.

Israel’s military said it was conducting an operation to arrest suspects and opened fire on Palestinians who were throwing improvised explosive devices, hitting one of them.

According to local residents, the Palestinian was killed when the Israeli army opened fire on camp residents who threw stones at the soldiers. However, his family said the young man was not involved in the incidents.

Six Palestinians have been killed from Israeli fire since yesterday, Tuesday, in the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank.

As announced by the Palestinian Ministry of Health, 29-year-old Yasser Musa succumbed to his injuries after being hit by bullets during a raid by the Israeli army last night in the Jenin refugee camp, raising to four the number of Palestinians killed in this raid.

Another Palestinian was killed yesterday by Israeli army fire in the Gaza Strip.

At least 238 Palestinians, 28 Israelis, one Ukrainian and one Italian have been killed since the start of the year in violent incidents linked to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, according to an AFP tally based on official sources.

These numbers include fighters and civilians on the Palestinian side, including minors, and on the Israeli side mainly civilians, including minors and three members of the Arab minority.

Meanwhile, a meeting is due today between Netanyahu and Biden, whose relations have been strained since December, when the Israeli prime minister took over as head of the most right-wing government in his country’s history.

The US, a close ally of Israel, is concerned about judicial reform promoted by Netanyahu and Jewish settlements in the West Bank.

The Israeli prime minister, who has not yet been invited to the White House, will meet with Biden on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.

During his speech yesterday, the American president emphasized that his administration “continues to work tirelessly to support a just and sustainable peace between (…) Israelis and Palestinians – two states for two peoples”.