Palestinian minor killed by Israeli fire in West Bank

By Qais Abu Samra
RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) – A Palestinian minor succumbed to wounds he sustained from Israeli army fire in the occupied West Bank on Wednesday, the Health Ministry said.

A ministry statement said Ghaith Rafiq Yamin, 16, was shot in the head by Israeli forces near Joseph’s tomb in Nablus city early Wednesday.

Nearly 100 Palestinians were also injured in clashes with Israeli forces in the city and were treated on spot, the Palestinian Red Crescent Society said.

According to eyewitnesses, the clashes broke out when Israeli forces raided the city to allow Jewish settlers to reach the Joseph's tomb site, which has long been a flashpoint for violence.

Jews claim the site is the burial place of the biblical patriarch Joseph. Muslims, however, challenge this assertion, saying an Islamic cleric -- Sheikh Yussef Dweekat -- was buried at the site two centuries ago.

Writing by Ahmed Asmar