Palestinian teenager martyred by Israeli troops

Israeli military forces have opened fire and killed a Palestinian teenager who was attempting to reach al-Aqsa Mosque in al-Quds (Jerusalem) to perfrom Friday Prayers in the holy month of Ramadan, Palestinian sources say.

The 17-year-old Palestinian boy identified as Mohammad Hani Kosba was killed after Israeli forces sprayed him with bullets in the Palestinian village of al-Ram, north of East al-Quds (East Jerusalem) on Friday morning.

Israeli military sources claimed that the soldiers gunned down the teenager after he hurled stones at their patrol.

However, witnesses and local residents said Israeli forces opened fire on the youth without any provocation.

The latest development came as thousands of Palestinians gathered at a crossing point from the West Bank to access the al-Aqsa Mosque in al-Quds for Friday Prayers.

The killing is the latest in a series of similar incidents involving Palestinians over the past months.

On April 25, Tel Aviv regime forces shot dead a Palestinian man in the southern West Bank city of al-Khalil (Hebron), claiming that he had stabbed an Israeli policeman.

Another Palestinian was killed by Israeli forces at a checkpoint in the occupied East al-Quds the day before. According to reports, Israeli forces shot dead a 16-year-old Palestinian boy while he was walking toward the al-Zaim checkpoint with his family.

International organizations and human rights groups say the Tel Aviv regime continues to enforce restrictions on the freedom of movement of Palestinians in the West Bank and other occupied territories.

Israeli forces have also stormed the al-Aqsa Mosque and attacked Palestinian worshippers several times in recent months. Israeli authorities are also systematically acting to change al-Quds' identity and character.