Israel troops kill child in Hebron for ‘stone-throwing’

By Anees Barghouti

HEBRON/JERUSALEM (AA) - A Palestinian minor was shot dead on Thursday after allegedly throwing stones at a group of Israeli soldiers in the occupied West Bank, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.

In a statement, the ministry said that 15-year-old Khaled Bahar had been shot dead by Israeli forces at the entrance of Beit Ummar village near the West Bank city of Hebron (Al-Khalil).

Eyewitnesses told Anadolu Agency that Israeli army personnel had prevented Palestinian rescuers from treating Bahar after he had been shot.

According to Palestinian figures, more than 240 Palestinians have been killed since an uptick in Israeli-Palestinian violence began in October of last year.

Israel, for its part, says 42 Israelis have been killed by Palestinians over the same period.

- Aqsa breaches

On the same day, over 400 Jewish settlers -- backed by Israeli security personnel -- forced their way into Jerusalem's flashpoint Al-Aqsa Mosque compound to mark the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, a Palestinian official said.

"A total of 436 Jewish settlers stormed Al-Aqsa, via the Al-Mugharbeh gate, and attempted to perform Talmudic rituals inside the mosque compound," Sheikh Azzam al-Khatib, the Palestinian director-general of Al-Aqsa Affairs, told Anadolu Agency.

Accompanied by numerous police, al-Khatib said, the settlers had toured the Al-Aqsa compound, passing near the Al-Qibali and Dome of the Rock mosques.

The move comes after Jewish extremist groups this week called on supporters to converge on the site to mark the week-long Jewish holiday of Sukkot, which began on Sunday.

For Muslims, Al-Aqsa represents the world's third holiest site. Jews, for their part, refer to the area as the "Temple Mount," claiming it was the site of two Jewish temples in ancient times.

Israel occupied East Jerusalem, in which the Al-Aqsa is located, during the 1967 Middle East War. It formally annexed the entire city in 1980, claiming it as its capital -- a move never recognized by the international community.