Palestinian,17, shot dead in clashes with Israeli forces
Army say Qusay Hussein Umour was the ‘main instigator’ in a violent riot in the Bethlehem-area village of Tuqua
A Palestinian teen was shot dead Monday evening during clashes with Israeli security forces in the southern West Bank, the Palestinian health ministry said.
The IDF said the shooting occurred during a “violent riot” in which Palestinian hurled rocks at security forces in the Bethlehem-area village of Tuqua, near the settlement of Tekoa in the Etzion Bloc.
“Due to the extent of violence, Border Police fired 0.22-caliber rounds toward the main violence instigator, resulting in his death,” an army spokeswoman said.
The Tuqua municipality identified the youth as 17-year-old Qusay Hussein Umour.
The Palestinian Red Crescent, quoted by the Ma’an news agency, said Umour was detained by Israeli forces after being shot three times, and only handed over to the Palestinians for medical treatment after he had died.
A spate of stabbings, car-rammings and shooting attacks by Palestinian assailants that began more than a year ago has waned over the several months, though sporadic incidents have persisted.
Since October, 40 Israelis, two Americans and an Eritrean national were killed in stabbing, car-ramming and shooting attacks.
According to AFP figures, some 249 Palestinians, a Jordanian and a Sudanese migrant were also killed during the violent spurt, most of them in the course of carrying out attacks, Israel says, and many of the others in clashes with troops in the West Bank and at the Gaza border, as well as in Israeli airstrikes in the Strip.
AFP contributed to this report.
