Israeli officer kills 17-year-old Palestinian for throwing stones

A senior Israeli military official has killed a 17-year-old Palestinian who pelted his car with stones.

Mohammed Kasba, from the occupied West Bank village of al-Ram, was killed after throwing stones at an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) vehicle close to the Qalandiya checkpoint, south of Ramallah on Friday 3 July.

The IDF said several Palestinians were throwing stones at the vehicle. The brigade commander Israel Shomer got out of the jeep and started shooting at the stone-throwing Palestinians.

"The forces called the suspect to halt and shot warning shots in the air. Once he continued hurling rocks at close range and in response to the imminent danger the forces fired towards the suspect," the spokeswoman told AFP.

According to reports, the Palestinian youths were trying to cross the separation wall to enter Jerusalem to pray at the al-Aqsa mosque. Kasba, who had two brothers killed during the second intifada in 2002 at the Qalandiya checkpoint, was shot after trying to climb the separation wall.

He died of his wounds at a Ramallah hospital.

Hundreds of Palestinians from Qalandiya refugee camp gathered at the Palestine Medical Center to mourn his death.

Israeli forces deployed in large numbers around Qalandiya checkpoint following the killing.