Israel: Soldiers kill Palestinian man in the West Bank
Israeli forces shot and killed a Palestinian man on Tuesday near the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah, according to the health ministry.
Nihad al-Bargouthi, 20, succumbed to bullet wounds in the abdomen after being shot by Israeli soldiers at the entrance of the village of Nabi Saleh, northwest of Ramallah.
He "was assassinated in cold blood and in broad daylight", his brother Ihab Bargouthi said.
An eyewitness told local news agency Quds News Network (QNN) that roughly five soldiers came to the village from a nearby military post.
They were met by young protesters but there was no stone-throwing or other violence when Bargouthi and other villagers came to see what was happening.
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"He was watching like everyone else, but because he was close to them, two shots were fired and one of them hit him," the unnamed eyewitness told QNN.
Bargouthi was taken to a hospital in Ramallah where he died.
Bilal Tamimi, an activist in Nabi Saleh, told Palestinian news agency Wafa that soldiers fired live bullets, rubber-coated steel bullets and tear gas at Palestinians in the village.
The Israeli army said in a statement that the incident began when "dozens of Palestinians approached a manned military post adjacent to a main road and the community of Nabi Saleh.
"The Palestinians hurled rocks at Israel Defense Forces troops who were stationed at the post," it said.
"The troops responded with riot dispersal means to restore order, including with live fire in order to stop a suspect, in accordance to the procedures," the statement said, noting that the incident was "under review".
Growing tensions
The killing comes a day after a Palestinian teenager was shot dead by Israeli troops near Jenin.
Mohammad Akram Abu Salah, 17, from the village of al-Yamoun, was shot in the head as a large force stormed Silat al-Harithiya village late on Sunday to demolish the home of a man accused of killing an Israeli settler.
Meanwhile in East Jerusalem, Israeli settlers, led by far-right Knesset member Itamar Ben-Gvir, continue to storm the neighbourhood of Sheikh Jarrah, setting up a makeshift office outside the home of a Palestinian family facing imminent expulsion.
Since Saturday night, settlers and security forces have been assaulting Palestinian residents of the area, which became a flashpoint in May last year after Israel tried to expel Palestinian families from the area to make way for settlers.
This prompted widespread protests across the occupied West Bank and the 48 Palestinian community inside Israel, as well as a large-scale military operation in the besieged Gaza Strip.
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