Israel investigating shooting of Palestinian boy in West Bank

Mohammed al-Alami's family say he was shot in the chest by Israeli troops

The Israeli military is investigating the death of a 12-year-old Palestinian boy in the occupied West Bank.

Palestinian officials said Mohammed al-Alami was shot by Israeli soldiers while travelling in a car with his family near Beit Ummar on Wednesday.

The military said troops fired at a car they thought was involved in suspicious activity and failed to stop.

They believed it to be the same as one from which they had seen remains of a newborn baby being discarded, it added.

They tried to arrest the car's passengers, calling out and firing into the air, according to the military.

When the car did not stop, one of the soldiers fired at its wheels, it said.

Mohammed al-Alami's family said he was shot in the chest. He was taken to a hospital in the nearby city of Hebron but died of his wounds.

Beit Ummar's mayor said Mohammed's father made a U-turn to stop at a shop before the soldiers opened fire.

He also accused the troops of storming a local cemetery and digging up a newborn girl's grave hours after she was buried by her family.

After Mohammed's funeral on Thursday, Palestinian protesters clashed with Israeli troops in Beit Ummar.

The Palestinian health ministry said a Palestinian man was critically wounded by gunfire.

On Tuesday, Israeli soldiers shot dead a Palestinian man in the northern West Bank village of Beita.

Palestinian officials said Shadi Salim, 41, was a plumber for the local authority and was close to a water well.

The Israeli military said troops shot him after he advanced quickly on troops while holding an iron bar. He ignored warnings to stop, it said.

Land close to Beita was taken over by Israeli settlers in May, and has been the scene of frequent protests.

Since then, at least six Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces, as violent clashes have erupted.

Earlier this week, in a separate incident, a 17-year-old boy from a different village died after he was shot by Israeli troops.

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