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Israeli fire kills Palestinian teenager in occupied West Bank

The death of Zayd Mohammed Ghouneim raises to five the number of Palestinian teenagers killed during Israeli military operations in the occupied West Bank in a month.

AFP

A member of the Israeli security forces mans a position during scuffles with Palestinian youths in the occupied West Bank town of Hauwara, on May 27, 2022.

A Palestinian teenager has been shot and killed by Israeli troops near the town of Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian health ministry has said.

Zayd Mohammed Ghouneim was shot in the back and neck and died in hospital on Friday, a ministry statement said.

Contacted by AFP news agency, the Israeli army said it was not immediately in a position to comment on the matter.

The death raises to five the number of Palestinian teenagers killed during Israeli military operations in the West Bank in a month.

Earlier, Israeli forces injured almost 90 people in protests in the occupied West Bank, according to the Palestine Red Crescent Society.

At least one Palestinian was shot in the leg and taken to the hospital on Friday while others sustained injuries from stun grenades, rubber-coated bullets and tear gas inhalation, the statement added.

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry released a statement condemning Israel's "repression", saying locals were protesting against expanding Jewish settlements and the illegal occupation of Palestinian land.

The worst clashes took place in the central West Bank town of Huwara, near the city of Nablus.

'Provocation by settlers'

Videos posted on social media this week showed Jewish settlers and Israeli soldiers taking down Palestinian flags in the town. In response, Palestinians organised a march with people waving flags, leading to confrontations with Israeli forces.

"What is happening in Huwara is a provocation by the settlers," Mohammad Abdelhameed, a Huwara council member, told Reuters news agency.

"We hang the Palestinian flag, which is a symbol of our identity and it will remain raised as long as we are on this land."

Israeli law does not outlaw Palestinian flags, but police and soldiers regularly remove them from public areas.

Hamas in Gaza has warned of another war if an annual "flag" march held by Israeli nationalists in Jerusalem's Old City passes through the Muslim quarter this Sunday.