JENIN: Israeli forces killed a Palestinian teenager on Sunday in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian health ministry said, with the army reporting they came under fire during a raid.

The ministry reported 14-year-old Qusai Radwan Waked died “as a result of being seriously wounded in the abdomen by live fire from the occupation (Israel)” in Jenin, a city in the northern West Bank.

The army said Israeli forces were shot at while they were trying to arrest an alleged Palestinian militant, while “explosive devices and rocks” were also thrown at them.

“We are aware of the reports regarding a number of armed individuals who got injured during the exchange of fire,” an army statement said, adding that no troops were hurt.

A photographer saw the teenager’s body wrapped in a sheet and being carried on a stretcher.

The latest killing comes as violence flares in the West Bank, this year there have been 46 Palestinian fatalities, including attackers, militants and civilians, according to a tally based on official statements.

Nine Israeli civilians and one Ukrainian have been killed over the same period.

Elsewhere in the northern West Bank on Sunday, Palestinian mourners gathered for the funeral of a 27-year-old man shot dead allegedly by an Israeli settler.

Mithkal Suleiman Rayyan was shot in the head on Saturday near the village of Qarawat Bani Hassan, where the army reported “heavy clashes between dozens of Palestinians and Israeli civilians”.

Attia Asi, who witnessed the killing, said the shooting happened before soldiers arrived.

“In the beginning it was in the air, then it turned towards the (Palestinian) guys, aiming to kill,” he told at the funeral.

The latest raid in Jenin by Israeli forces led to the arrest of Jebril Zubeidi, who the military said is accused of “terrorist activity against security forces and planning attacks”.

Published in Dawn, February 13th, 2023