Palestine: Boy shot dead by Israeli forces 'en route to school'
A 17-year-old Palestinian student was killed by the Israeli army while on his way to school on Monday, Palestinian health officials have said.
Mahmoud Abdel-Jalil al-Saadi, 17, was shot in the abdomen during an Israeli raid in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin, according to the Palestinian health ministry.
Palestinian media reported that five others were wounded after a fire exchange erupted between armed fighters and Israeli soldiers.
"A civilian succumbed to critical wounds after he was hit by live [Israeli] occupation bullets in the abdomen, in Jenin," the ministry said in a statement.
The ministry said Saadi, a secondary student, was on his way to school when he was caught up in the violence, according to local media.
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He was admitted to the intensive care unit at the nearby Ibn Sina hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
Earlier, Israeli officers stormed the Al-Hadaf neighbourhood of Jenin and surrounded the home of Ratib al-Bali before arresting him.
Israel's army said it was seeking to arrest a "terror operative" during the operation.
"During the activity, shots were fired and explosive devices were hurled at the soldiers," it said. "The soldiers responded with live fire toward suspects who fired at them... A hit was identified."
A large crowd gathered and carried Saadi's body through the streets of Jenin.
His death comes amid a spike in Israeli violence against Palestinians in the West Bank this year and a resurgence of Palestinian armed resistance.
Israeli forces and settlers have killed 140 Palestinians, including at least 30 children, in the West Bank this year, making it the deadliest on a monthly average for Palestinians since the UN began recording fatalities in 2005.
A further 49 Palestinians were killed during an Israeli bombardment of Gaza in August.
Twenty-seven Israeli civilians and soldiers have been killed by Palestinians in the same period, the highest number since 2008.
More than 600,000 Israelis live in over 200 settlements and outposts, deemed illegal under international law, across the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
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