Israeli troops kill boy (15) who was throwing stones at vehicles

Palestinian health ministry say Omar Madi was declared dead in Hebron hospital

The mother (centre), friends and relatives of Omar Maddi, at  al-Mizan hospital in the West Bank city of Hebron. Photograph: Hazem Bader/AFP/Getty Images
The mother (centre), friends and relatives of Omar Maddi, at al-Mizan hospital in the West Bank city of Hebron. Photograph: Hazem Bader/AFP/Getty Images

Israeli troops shot and killed a Palestinian boy who the army said had been throwing stones at Israeli vehicles on a road in the West Bank on Wednesday.

An Israeli military spokeswoman said troops patrolling near the city of Hebron encountered Palestinians throwing rocks at vehicles on a main road and shot one of them.

The Palestinian health ministry said 15-year-old Omar Madi was taken to hospital in Hebron where he was declared dead.

Since a surge in violence began in October, 27 Israelis and a US citizen have been killed in near-daily Palestinian attacks that have included stabbings, shootings and car-rammings.

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Israeli forces have killed at least 157 Palestinians in the same period, 101 of them assailants, according to Israeli authorities. Other Palestinians have died during violent anti-Israeli protests.

The bloodshed has been partly fuelled by Palestinian frustration over long-stalled peace talks and anger at perceived Jewish encroachment on a contested Jerusalem shrine.

Reuters