By Ali Sawafta
RAMALLAH (Reuters) – Israeli troops handed the body of a Palestinian man arrested hours earlier in the occupied West Bank to Palestinian health authorities on Monday, as a major operation in the flashpoint city of Jenin continued for a sixth day.
The Palestinian Red Crescent said it had received the body of 58 year-old Ayman Rajeh Abed from the village of Kafr Dan, just outside Jenin after he was arrested around dawn on Monday. The director of the Wissam Bakr hospital in Jenin said the body bore signs of beatings and torture.
The Israeli military said Abed had been detained during counterterrorism operations and experienced a “cardiac event” on arrival at a detention facility. He was given initial treatment by medical staff from the military, before being evacuated to the hospital in Jenin.
“The IDF is aware of reports that the suspect died during his evacuation by the Red Crescent,” it said in a statement, adding that details of the incident were under review.
The incident occurred as Israeli forces extended their operations in Jenin to villages around the city, where bulldozers continued to dig up streets and major thoroughfares to find roadside bombs.
Israel launched the operation, one of the largest in months, last Wednesday, saying Iranian-backed militant groups were planning to attack civilian targets.
Hundreds of troops backed by drones and helicopters have taken part in the operation which has caused extensive damage to houses and infrastructure in Jenin and the densely packed refugee camp adjacent to the city.
At least 29 Palestinians have been killed, most of whom have been claimed as members by armed factions including Hamas and Islamic Jihad. Another 121 people have been wounded, according to Palestinian health authorities.
Late on Sunday, a man was killed west of Jenin city.
On Monday, the Palestinian Red Crescent said a man had been hit in the chest by gunfire in Qabatiya near Jenin. His condition was described as serious.
(Writing by James Mackenzie; Editing by Sharon Singleton)
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