Palestinian boy shot during Israeli military operation becomes fifth teenager killed this month

The Palestinian Health Ministry says Israeli forces shot and killed a teenager during an operation in a town near Bethlehem in the West Bank.

Relatives mourn 15-year-old Palestinian boy Zaid Muhammad Said Ganim who was shot dead by Israeli forces on 27 May, 2022 in Bethlehem, West Bank.

Relatives mourn 15-year-old Palestinian boy Zaid Muhammad Said Ganim who was shot dead by Israeli forces on 27 May, 2022 in Bethlehem, West Bank. Source: Getty / Anadolu Agency/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Israeli forces have shot and killed a teenage boy during an operation in a town near Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian Health Ministry says.

The ministry identified the dead boy as Zaid Ghunaim, 15.

It said he was wounded by Israeli gunfire in the neck and back, with doctors unable to save his life.

The death raises to five the number of Palestinian teenagers killed during Israeli military operations in the West Bank in the past month.
Palestinians carry the body of 15 year old Palestinian kid Zaid Muhammad Said Ganim who shot dead by Israeli forces on May 27, 2022 in Bethlehem, West Bank.
Palestinians carry the body of 15-year-old Palestinian boy Zaid Muhammad Said Ganim who shot dead by Israeli forces on 27 May 2022 in Bethlehem, West Bank. Source: Getty / Anadolu Agency/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
Israeli-Palestinian violence has intensified in recent weeks with near-daily arrest raids in Palestinian-administered areas of the West Bank, and tensions around a Jerusalem holy site sacred to Muslims and Jews.

The official Palestinian news agency Wafa cited witnesses as saying Mr Ghunaim came upon the soldiers in al-Khader and tried to run away but the troops fired at him.

The Israeli military, which has stepped up its operations in the West Bank in response to a series of deadly attacks inside Israel, said soldiers opened fire at Palestinians who threw rocks and Molotov cocktails, endangering the troops.
"The soldiers provided an injured suspect with initial treatment at the scene" before transferring him to Palestinian medics, the military said in a statement.

Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh said Israeli forces "deliberately" shot at Mr Ghunaim with the intention to kill him.

On Sunday, Israeli ultra-nationalists plan to march through the main Muslim thoroughfare of the Old City of Jerusalem.

The compound houses Al-Aqsa Mosque, the third holiest site in Islam. The hilltop site is also among the holiest for Jews, who refer to it as the Temple Mount.
The march is meant to commemorate Israel's capture of East Jerusalem in the 1967 Six-Day War.

Israel annexed East Jerusalem in 1980. Under international law the area is considered to be occupied territory, but Israel considers it to be disputed territory.

The Palestinians claim East Jerusalem as the capital of a future state.

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Published 28 May 2022 1:22pm
Updated 28 May 2022 1:25pm
Source: AAP, SBS


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