HEBRON: Israeli troops killed a Palestinian driver in the occupied West Bank on Monday, officials on both sides said on the day US Secretary of State Antony Blinken landed in Tel Aviv for talks to urge a de-escalation in the deadly violence that has flared in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Nassim Naif Salman Abu Fouda, 26, died from `a bullet wound to the head fired by the occupation [Israelij soldiers in Hebron this morning, the Palestinian health ministry said.

The Israeli army said that soldiers had `identified a suspicious vehicle` and `asked the driver to stop the vehicle in order to inspect it.

`A soldier approached thevehicle and the driver rammed into his leg. The soldiers fired toward the vehicle as it attempted to flee the scene and hits were identified.

`The vehicle continued driving and then crashe d,` the army statement said, adding that the driver was taken from the car by Palestinian medics and `was later declared dead`.

Abu Fouda is the 35th Palestinian killed in the conflict this month, in the occupied West Bank and annexed east Jerusalem including militants, civilians and several children according to an AFP tally based on official sources from both sides.

Over the same period six Israeli civilians, including a child, and one Ukrainian civilian have been 1(illed. All were shot dead in the attack Friday outside the synagogue in an east Jerusalem settlement.

Blinken`s visit Mr Blinken has arrived in Israel on the second leg of his Middle East tour, after meeting Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and the country`s foreign minister in Cairo.

On arrival at Tel Aviv`s airport, Mr Blinken condemned those who celebrated theJerusalem violence and `any other acts of terrorism that take innocent lives`.

`It`s the responsibility of everyone to take steps to calm tensions rather than inflamethem,` he said.

`That is the only way to halt the rising tide of violence that hastakentoomanylives-too many Israelis, too many Palestinians.`-Agencies