Israeli settlers kidnap, burn and kill Palestinian boy in Jerusalem

Israeli settlers kidnapped, burnt and killed a Palestinian child in occupied East Jerusalem on Wednesday at dawn, international media reported.

The child was identified as Mohammed Abu Khudair, 16. He was reportedly kidnapped by Israeli settlers driving a grey Hyundai car.

Abu Khudair’s uncle told reporters that his nephew was kidnapped while heading to mosque for Al-Fajr morning prayers, and that several witnesses in Shuafat, a neighbourhood in occupied east Jerusalem, saw the incident, reporting that Abu Khudair was forced into the car by Jewish settlers. The witnesses said they tried to chase the car as it was driving away from Jerusalem.

On Tuesday, several hundreds Israeli settlers, some chanting “Death to Arabs”, blocked the main entrance to Jerusalem while extremist mobs attacked Palestinians.

Meanwhile, Palestine News Network reported that teenager Yousef Abu Zagh was shot and killed by Israeli occupation forces as they raided Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank, and a nine-year-old Palestinian child was run over by an Israeli settler in the village of Jaba, south of the city.

The Israeli occupation army has engaged in a continuous military operation in the West Bank since 12 June, when three Israeli settlers went missing near Hebron.

In a statement, the army said that occupation forces had arrested 419 Palestinian activists, including 335 Hamas members, 12 Hamas leaders and 56 former prisoners previously released as a result of the prisoners swap deal reached in 2011. In addition, Israeli occupying forces broke into 63 Hamas run organisations and confiscated the funds of 84 Hamas run associations, as well as searched 2,218 Palestinian houses and structures while destroying 17 buildings.

The occupation army warned that the operation was not yet complete as Israeli officials are pledging to continue their pursuit of the two Palestinians accused of kidnapping the Israeli settlers, Marwan Qwasmeh and Amer Abu Aisha, and vowing to destroy Hamas’s infrastructure.