Israeli forces shot and killed a teenager in a town near Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank on Friday, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.
Zaid Ghunaim, 15, was named as the slain teen by the ministry. He was shot in the neck and back by Israeli gunfire, according to the report, and doctors were unable to save his life.
The number of Palestinian teens murdered in Israeli military operations in the West Bank in the last month has now risen to five. With near-daily arrest raids in Palestinian-administered regions of the West Bank and tensions around a Jerusalem (al-Quds) holy site sacred to both Muslims and Jews, Israeli-Palestinian violence has escalated in recent weeks, according to AP.
According to witnesses quoted by the official Palestinian news agency Wafa, Ghunaim approached the soldiers in al-Khader and attempted to flee, but was shot by the soldiers. Bloodstains near a white car parked in a passageway are shown in online footage supposedly of the shooting’s aftermath.
Soldiers opened fire on Palestinians who threw rocks and Molotov cocktails, endangering the troops, according to the Israeli military, which has increased its operations in the West Bank in response to a string of deadly attacks inside Israel.
The military claimed in a statement that “the soldiers gave an injured suspect with initial treatment at the spot” before transferring him to Palestinian medics.
Israeli forces “deliberately” shot at Ghunaim with the intention to kill him, according to Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh.
Israeli ultranationalists intend to march through the Old City of al-Quds’ major Muslim artery on Sunday. The Al-Aqsa Masjid, Islam’s third holiest site, is located within the compound. For Jews, who refer to it as the Temple Mount, the hilltop site is also the holiest.
The march is intended to commemorate Israel’s 1967 Mideast war victory in the takeover of east al-Quds. Following that, Israel annexed the territory in a move that was not recognised internationally. Palestinians claims east al-Quds to be the capital of Palestinian state.
(With inputs from AP and others)
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