Israel Nets Arms in West Bank Factory Raids

The Israeli army carried out a series of raids on weapons manufacturers in the occupied West Bank overnight in the largest such operation in years, the army said Tuesday.

Soldiers raided seven sites in the Palestinian territory, finding a number of weapons manufacturing machines, a senior army official said without giving his name.

An army video posted online showed a large number of confiscated rifles and ammunition.

"In six of the seven warehouses we found advanced weapons technology," the official said.

"This is not someone who has a weapon in their garage, these are people that make a living from it.

"By shutting down those factories, we believe that the price of weapons will go up and (fewer) people will be able to get their hands on weapons."

It was the largest such operation in several years, he said, with two alleged weapons dealers arrested.

Since the beginning of 2016, the Israeli forces have closed down 29 weapon manufacturing workshops in the West Bank, according to police.

Palestinians living in the West Bank are not allowed to have guns unless part of the security services.

The military official estimated there were still thousands of guns in the Palestinian territory.

A wave of violence since October has killed 220 Palestinians, 34 Israelis, two Americans, an Eritrean and a Sudanese, according to an AFP tally.

Most of the Palestinians killed were carrying out knife, gun or car-ramming attacks, Israeli authorities say, with the majority of them from the West Bank.

Separately the United Nations' body for Palestinian refugees said on Monday it was "gravely concerned" about the killing of a Palestinian refugee on August 16 during an Israeli military incursion into the Fawwar refugee camp near Hebron.

"A reportedly unarmed 19-year old Palestine refugee from Fawwar camp was killed after being shot in the chest by live ammunition rounds reportedly fired by an Israeli sniper stationed approximately 100 meters away," UNRWA said.