Ramallah, occupied West Bank (Washington Insider Magazine) – According to the Palestinian health ministry and eyewitnesses, the Israeli army shot and killed a 16-year-old Palestinian in the town of Al-Mughayyer, close to the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah.
The young boy was identified by the ministry as Amjad Nashat Abu Alya, and it was reported that he had been shot in the chest on Friday afternoon.
He was transferred to a hospital in Ramallah, where at around 2pm, he was declared dead.
The killing occurred during clashes between Jewish settlers and the Israeli forces that broke out after Palestinians protested local settler violence.
The Committee against the Wall and Settlements of the Palestinian Authority, which routinely organises rallies, as well as a number of popular groups, called for the demonstration, which started at around 11am.
Journalist Hadi Sabarneh, who was on the scene, informed Al Jazeera that a number of settlers had also come to the demonstration along with the Israeli authorities, one of whom the journalist had captured carrying what seemed to be an M-16 gun.
When his cousin Amjad was slain, Nassar Nassar stated he was about 30 feet away and added that the armed settler was shooting randomly.
According to Nassar, it was unclear if Amjad was killed by settler gunfire or by the Israeli army.
The Israeli soldiers responded when Palestinians burnt tyres and threw stones, according to a spokesperson for the force. The army was aware of allegations that a Palestinian had been killed.
The statement also stated that when skirmishes between settlers and Palestinians broke out and involved stones being thrown at one another, the army tried to restore order.
A settler was reportedly also hurt, according to Israeli media.
International law forbids the development of settlements in the occupied West Bank, yet Israeli authorities have continued to do so.
Amjad was in the 10th grade and frequently joined demonstrations, especially after his friend Ali Abu Alya was murdered by Israeli troops in 2020 amid clashes between Palestinians and Israeli forces, according to his cousin.
