NABLUS: Israeli troops shot dead a Palestinian linked to Hamas during clashes in the West Bank city of Nablus early on Thursday, the Palestinian health ministry said.

The exchange of fire came just hours after veteran Israeli hawk Benjamin Netanyahu announced he had formed a new government, returning to power as the head of the most right-wing coalition in Israel’s history.

The Palestinian health ministry said Ahmed Atef Daraghmeh, 23, a footballer from the nearby town of Tulkarem, sustained bullet wounds to the back and foot. Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, said Daraghmeh was a member of its military wing who “was killed by occupation bullets during clashes at dawn on Thursday”.

Hundreds of people took part in his funeral in the city of Tubas on Thursday, an AFP journalist reported. The man’s body was draped in a Hamas flag.