According to the Palestinian Health Ministry, Israeli troops shot and killed a teenager during an operation in a community near Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank on Friday.

Zaid Ghunaim, 15, was named as the killed kid by the ministry. According to the report, he was shot in the neck and back by Israeli soldiers, and physicians were unable to save his life.

The killing brings the total number of Palestinian youths murdered in Israeli military operations in the West Bank to five in the last month five.

In recent weeks, Israeli-Palestinian violence has escalated, with nearly daily arrest raids in Palestinian-controlled regions of the West Bank and tensions surrounding a Jerusalem holy site dear to both Muslims and Jews.

According to witnesses, Ghunaim approached the soldiers in Al-Khader and attempted to flee, but the military shot at him.

Online footage purportedly showing the aftermath of the shooting shows bloodstains beside a white automobile parked in a corridor.

The Israeli military claimed soldiers opened fire on Palestinians who threw rocks and Molotov bombs, threatening the forces.

“The soldiers provided an injured suspect with initial treatment at the scene” before transferring him to Palestinian medics, the military said in a statement.

Palestinian Premier Mohammad Shtayyeh said Israeli forces “deliberately” shot at Ghunaim with the intention to kill him.

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