NABLUS: An 85-year old Palestinian died on Thursday after inhaling tear gas fired by the Israeli Army to disperse local protesters landed in his home in the occupied West Bank, local eyewitnesses told Reuters.

He is the first Palestinian casualty of the conflict with Israel in 2014 following a violent clash with soldiers on the outskirts of the village of Kufr Qaddoum near Nablus in the northern West Bank.

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

Villagers told Reuters the soldiers fired dozens of tear gas canisters at them, one of which entered Saeed Jaser Ali’s home. He was taken to a local hospital, where he died early on Thursday.

Ali’s death comes as US Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Israel to broker Mideast peace talks that are entering a difficult phase aimed at reaching a two-state solution.

Kerry landed In Tel Aviv on Thursday and made his way to Jerusalem for talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. On Friday, he’ll be in the West Bank to talk with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.