Palestinian child shot by Israeli settler in West Bank

A 6-year-old Palestinian boy has reportedly been shot by an Israeli settler in the West Bank on Saturday, according to local media.

The Palestinian Ma'an news agency quoted witnesses saying the settler shot the child, who was standing by the road, and then drove off.

He is receiving hospital treatment in the West Bank city of Qalqilya.

An Israeli military spokesperson said: "We are aware of reports. The IDF [Israel Defense Forces] has arrived at the scene and found no immediate evidence but it is being investigated."

The reported shooting has come as tensions between Palestinians and Israeli settlers have been heightened by the killing of an Israeli couple when their car was shot at near the West Bank city of Nablus on Thursday. The couple's four children, who were also in the car, were not injured in the attack.

Ma'an reported that Israeli forces searching for the gunmen conducted large raids in and around Nablus overnight Friday, detaining seven Palestinians and injuring another seven in resultant clashes.

The IDF confirmed the "overnight military activity" but said it was investigating reports of gunfire.

Several Palestinian villages were targeted by Israeli settlers on Friday in revenge attacks that saw vehicles and farmland burnt, a Palestinian Authority official told Anadolu Agency.

While several Palestinian armed factions praised Thursday's attack, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said "it will not pass without a response" during a meeting with the U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Friday.