Israeli Troops Shoot, Kill Palestinian in West Bank

Israeli forces shot at least two Palestinians with live bullets, critically injuring one, in the town of al-Eizariya in the central occupied West Bank district of Jerusalem (al-Quds) during clashes there Saturday evening, a spokesperson for the Palestinian Red Crescent told Ma'an news agency.

The seriously wounded Palestinian succumbed to his wounds a short time later, the Palestinian Ministry of Health confirmed in a statement.

He was first moved to a hospital in Jericho with shrapnel wounds all over his body in a serious condition, and later taken to the Palestinian Medical Complex in Ramallah were he was declared dead, according to the statement.

The Popular Resistance Committees identified the victim as 24-year-old Yousif Kashur from the town of Abu Dis just north of al-Eizariya.

Kashur's killing raised the number of Palestinians killed by Israelis since the beginning of the year to 50, 15 of whom were killed in the month of July alone.

Locals also reported clashes in Abu Dis, where resident of the town, 17-year-old Muhammad Lafi, was shot dead by Israeli forces during protests on Friday.

Witnesses said Israeli troops stormed the town and used tear gas, stun grenades, and rubber-coated steel bullets to disperse young Palestinian men who had gathered in the town's center and around al-Quds University.

More than 300 Palestinians have lost their lives at the hands of Israeli forces in the ongoing tensions since the beginning of October 2015.

The Tel Aviv regime has tried to change the demographic makeup of Jerusalem al-Quds over the past decades by constructing settlements, destroying historical sites and expelling the local Palestinian population.

Palestinians say the Israeli measures are aimed at paving the way for the Judaization of the city.

The al-Aqsa Mosque compound is a flashpoint Islamic site, which is also holy to Jews. The mosque is Islam’s third holiest site after Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia.