RAMALLAH, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- The Israeli army killed a Palestinian security officer in the town of Meithalun, south of the northern West Bank city of Jenin, Palestinian sources said on Sunday.

The Ramallah-based Health Ministry said in a press statement that it was informed by the General Authority for Civil Affairs that Hassan Rabaya, 40, was killed by Israeli forces in Meithalun.

According to a Palestinian security source, Rabaya, an officer in the Palestinian security forces, was killed during a raid by Israeli special forces. The forces stormed the town and surrounded Rabaya's house amid an exchange of gunfire, the source said.

Meithalun Mayor Hamad Rabaya told Xinhua that Israeli forces surrounded a house and an exchange of gunfire was heard in its vicinity. The mayor also reported seeing Israeli forces transporting a body to their military vehicles.

Israeli occupation forces have detained at least 20 Palestinians, including children and former prisoners, in the West Bank over the last 24 hours, according to a joint statement by the Palestinian Authority's Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoners Society.

The West Bank has been witnessing escalating tension since Oct. 7, 2023, and more than 820 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli bullets and shelling, according to Palestinian statistics. ■