Israel makes arrests made after guard killed

Israeli security forces made arrests on Saturday after the killing of a guard at a Jewish settlement in the West Bank.

Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, a militant group present in the West Bank, claimed responsibility for the killing, which, along with the killing of a Palestinian man by Israeli forces under disputed circumstances in the ensuing manhunt, brought a deadly end to a Friday marked by clashes at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.

In the latest confrontations between Israeli police and Palestinians at the Al-Aqsa compound, more than 40 people were injured, some of whom were hospitalized.

What were the circumstances around the guard's death?

The security guard was shot dead by two men in a car, according to the Israeli army.

The army said the guard was on duty at the entrance to Ariel — an Israeli settlement and a city in the central West Bank — on Friday night when gunmen opened fire.

Emergency services said the man, who was in his 20s, died from the wounds incurred in the incident.

Meanwhile, security forces have increased their presence in the area, particularly at the entrance to the neighboring Palestinian community of Salfi.

On Saturday, authorities made arrests and seized weapons at nearby Bruqin and at the Balata refugee camp.

Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade claim responsibility

The militant group that said it conducted the attack is an armed force affiliated with the Fatah faction of the Palestine Liberation Organization, led by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade praised the killing of the guard and said it was in response to Israeli "violations" in Jerusalem. 

During the Six-Day War in 1967, Israel captured the West Bank and east Jerusalem, which the Palestinians continue to claim as territory for their own independent state. More than 600,000 Israeli settlers currently reside in these areas.

In 2016, the UN Security Council called for an end to settlements in the occupied territories.

jsi/wd (AFP, dpa)