Israeli troops shoot and kill Palestinian youth

Death follows incursion by Israeli military into Dheisheh refugee camp, in West Bank city of Bethlehem.

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Israeli soldiers shot dead a Palestinian youth during clashes Tuesday at a refugee camp in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, medics said.

Jihad al-Jafari was killed after Israeli troops launched an incursion into Dheisheh refugee camp before dawn, sparking clashes with stone-throwing residents, according to medics and witnesses.

During the incident Jafari went up onto a rooftop and was hit in the chest by a bullet, they said. Conflicting reports put Jafari’s age at either 19 or 20 years old.

Medics took his body for an autopsy at the Abu Dis forensic institute near East Jerusalem. A funeral is expected to take place later on Tuesday.

The Israeli army confirmed that a shooting occurred inside the camp, saying troops opened fire after coming under attack.

An Israeli military spokeswoman said that Palestinians hurled rocks, firebombs and other objects at the troops, wounding one soldier. “The force, feeling imminent danger to their lives, responded with fire toward an instigator,” she said.

Established in 1949, the UNRWA-administered Dheisheh refugee camp is home to an estimated 13,000 Palestinians uprooted from 45 villages by Israeli forces during the war of 1948 and successive conflicts. Along with the rest of the West Bank and East Jerusalem, it is under Israeli military occupation.

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