Israeli forces killed a Palestinian militant leader who belonged to President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah group in a village near the West Bank town of Jenin, Palestinian medics said today.
An Israeli military source said troops had identified three gunmen there late yesterday and shot at them.
During sweeps conducted the day after, they found in a nearby house the top militant, who was wanted by Israel, dead from a gunshot wound.
Palestinian medics identified the man to be 26-year-old Shoja'a Balawi, a local leader of al-Aqsa Martyr's Brigades, which is part of Fatah.
The military source had no comment on the identification of the man.
The Israeli army has increased its sweeps for Palestinian militants in the West Bank after a Palestinian suicide bombing killed six Israelis last month.
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has said that peace talks, currently stalled by violence, could not resume unless Mr Abbas disarmed militants.
The Palestinian leader says such a move would lead to civil war and accuses Israel of exacerbating the situation by failing to freeze the construction of settlements on land Palestinians want for a state.