JENIN, Palestinian Territories: A Palestinian gunman from the Islamic Jihad militant group was shot dead by Israeli troops during clashes Wednesday in Jenin, a flash point in the occupied West Bank hit by waves of recent violence.

Mohammad Marei, 25, died from a bullet wound to the chest, the Palestinian health ministry said.

Islamic Jihad, a Palestinian armed group present in the West Bank and the Israeli-blockaded Gaza strip, said in a statement that Marei was one of their fighters and a 鈥渕artyr鈥� who died while confronting a raid 鈥渂y occupation forces... in Jenin at dawn on Wednesday.鈥�

The Israeli army said it conducted overnight 鈥渃ounter-terrorism activities鈥� in several West Bank locations.

In Jenin, Palestinian gunmen opened fire on troops, the army said.

鈥淎 number of suspects also hurled explosive devices at soldiers, who responded with fire. A hit was identified,鈥� the army added, without specifically commenting on Marei鈥檚 death.

His killing comes amid spiralling violence in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Nineteen people 鈥� mostly Israeli civilians inside Israel 鈥� have been killed since late March, mainly in attacks by Palestinians and Israeli Arabs.

Israeli security forces have responded with near-daily raids in the West Bank, including in and around Jenin.

Forty-eight Palestinians have been killed, mostly in the West Bank 鈥� among them attackers and suspected militants but also non-combatants, including Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, who was killed by Israeli army fire while covering a raid in Jenin, according to the United Nations.

Three Israeli Arab attackers have also been killed since late March.