An elderly Palestinian man has died after inhaling tear gas fired by the Israeli army in an attack on Fatah supporters in the occupied West Bank.

Saeed Jaser Ali became the first Palestinian casualty of 2014 following Wednesday's clash with Israeli soldiers on the outskirts of Kufr Qaddoum village near Nablus.

The Israeli soldiers fired dozens of tear gas canisters at them, one of which smashed into Mr Ali's home.

He was taken to a nearby hospital, where he died earlier today.

"Last night, a violent riot took place in the village of Qaddoum in which Palestinian residents hurled rocks at security forces, who responded with riot dispersal means," an Israeli military spokeswoman claimed.

Youths in the village had been celebrating the 49th anniversary of the founding of the Fatah movement, the party of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, when the clash erupted.

Violence in the West Bank has increased in recent months and at least 19 Palestinians and four Israelis have been killed in the occupied territory since US-brokered peace negotiations resumed in July.

nUS Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Israel yesterday to oversee the reopened peace talks between Palestine and Israel.

Mr Kerry held discussions with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem and is due to arrive in the West Bank today for talks with President Abbas.

Israeli human rights group B'Tselem said that the number of killings in the West Bank in 2013 was three times higher than in 2012.