Palestinian teen believed to be armed shot and killed during West Bank rioting

The Israeli army said the teen was among some 30 Palestinians throwing rocks at troops.

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JERUSALEM (JTA) — A Palestinian teen believed to be carrying a gun was shot and killed by Israeli soldiers at a violent protest in the West Bank.

The Israeli military said the teen was among some 30 Palestinian throwing rocks at Israeli troops on Wednesday afternoon in the village of Deir Nidham. Soldiers opened fire after they saw the teen holding what appeared to be a gun, according to reports.

Palestinian media reports identified the teen killed as Musab Firas Tamimi, 17, of Deir Nidham. He was pronounced dead at a hospital in Ramallah.

An army spokesman told The Times of Israel that is was not immediately confirmed whether the teen was actually carrying a gun, and that the circumstances were being investigated.

Also Wednesday afternoon, two rockets fired at Jewish communities in southern Israel from Gaza landed in open areas, causing no damage or injuries. The Code Red warning sirens did not sound in either case.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had been scheduled to visit Israel’s border region with Gaza on Wednesday, Ynet reported, but the visit was canceled two days ago for unknown reasons.

News reports in Israel said the Israeli army was carrying out retaliatory strikes against Hamas outposts in Gaza in the wake of the rocket attacks.

Meanwhile, the Israel Defense Forces announced Wednesday that Islamic Jihad was behind the rockets fired from Gaza on Friday, including one that disrupted a memorial ceremony for a soldier whose remains are held by Hamas in Gaza. The IDF had previously announced that the rockets had originated in Iran.

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