Palestinian militant killed in explosion in Nablus

A Palestinian militant was killed Sunday in an explosion in the occupied West Bank, police said, with Israel staying silent on allegations from fighters that it was behind his assassination.

Tamer al-Kilani was killed overnight in the Old City of Nablus in the northern West Bank, the Palestinian health ministry said.

A Palestinian police inspector told AFP that Kilani was killed in an explosion in Nablus, where the Lions' Den militant group has emerged in recent months.

The group described Kilani as one of its "fiercest fighters" and blamed Israel for his death overnight.

"The treacherous occupation (Israel) put a sticky TNT device as the way to assassinate" Kilani, the group wrote on Telegram.

Palestinians gathered on Sunday around the charred remains of a motorbike that was allegedly laden with explosives.

At Nablus's Rafidia Hospital, Kilani's mother and sister stood over his body.

The Israeli military refused to confirm its involvement in the killing when contacted by AFP.

An army spokeswoman said Kilani was involved in attacks targeting Israelis and had previously been jailed by Israel.

The Fatah movement described the killing as a "cowardly assassination" in a statement published by the official Palestinian news agency Wafa.

Dozens of Palestinian militants and civilians have been killed this year amid an uptick in Israeli military raids, most targeting the northern West Bank.

The army spokeswoman said Israeli forces "will continue to operate at all times and in all places from which terror attacks against Israelis emanate".

Nineteen Palestinians and two Israeli soldiers have been killed so far this month, according to an AFP toll.