Palestinian teen killed by Israelis in West Bank: Palestinian ministry

Palestinian teen killed by Israelis in West Bank: Palestinian ministry
Israeli forces shot and killed a Palestinian teenager in the occupied West Bank after raiding the town of Jenin.
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Jenin in the northern West Bank has been repeatedly raided by Israeli forces [Getty]

A Palestinian teenager was shot dead by Israeli forces during a raid on Saturday in Jenin in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian health ministry said.

"A 17-year-old boy was killed and an 18-year-old was critically wounded by the Israeli occupation's bullets during its aggression on Jenin," the ministry said in a statement.

The official Palestinian news agency Wafa identified the teenager as Amjad al-Fayed.

The Israeli army said that during "operational activity" near Kafr Dan, a village northwest of Jenin, "a number of suspects shot live fire at... soldiers from a passing vehicle.

"The suspects also hurled Molotov cocktails and an explosive device toward the soldiers," it said in a statement.

"The soldiers responded with live fire toward the suspects," it added. "Hits were identified."

The Palestinian Islamic Jihad claimed Fayed as a member and a "son", praising him in a statement for confronting the Israeli soldiers with gunfire and explosive devices.

At Fayed's funeral in the Jenin refugee camp, armed members of the militant group carried his coffin.

Palestinian prime minister Mohammed Shtayyeh condemned Fayed's killing, stressing in remarks relayed by Wafa that "the international community should hold Israel accountable for its acts".

Jenin in the northern West Bank has been repeatedly raided by Israeli forces since a wave of anti-Israeli attacks in late March, with many of the perpetrators coming from there.

The operations to track down suspects and clashes with Palestinians have often turned deadly for both sides.

Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, a Palestinian-American, died when she was shot in the head near the Jenin refugee camp on May 11 by Israeli forces, while covering an Israeli raid.

Israel initially denied that it was responsible for the killing and tried to blame Palestinian gunmen.

After mounting evidence Israel was responsible, including witnesses at the scene, it walked back on these claims.

Israel captured the West Bank from Jordan during the 1967 Six-Day War and controls all entry points to the territory.

About 475,000 Israelis live in West Bank settlements - deemed illegal by most of the international community - alongside 2.9 million Palestinians.