Hundreds of Palestinians attended the funeral of Muhammad Murad Yahiya, 18, on Tuesday after he was shot dead by Israeli forces late Monday in al-Araqa village in western Jenin.

“Israel assassinated my son in cold blood,” Yahiya’s father, Murad, told Ma’an. “After a family wedding Muhammad and several of his friends went walking in our lands near the separation wall when Israeli soldiers opened fire and hit him.”

Muhammad’s uncle, Zayid, said that Israeli forces at the scene tied his feet together as he lay bleeding on the ground and kept him there for several hours.

Secretary-general of Fatah in al-Araqa, Muhammad Waked, condemned the killing, while head of the village council Raed Yahiya said Israel “continuously targets the village by building the separation wall and shooting at locals to prevent them from approaching the wall.”

The governor of Jenin, security forces, and representatives from Palestinian political parties joined villagers for the funeral.

Palestinian security sources told Ma’an that the teen had been shot with a live bullet by Israeli forces in his lower stomach.

He underwent surgery after his injury was reported as critical, but was pronounced dead Tuesday morning.

An Israeli army spokeswoman alleged Yaihiya was with a group of Palestinians “attempting to breach the security fence,” and that Israeli forces ordered them to halt.

When the Palestinians “refused to halt” the soldiers opened fire “at their lower extremities,” she said.

She confirmed that one Palestinian was hit, and said that the Israeli Military Advocate General had opened an investigation into the incident.

Muhammad Yahiya is the third Palestinian to be killed by Israeli forces in recent days, after another teenager was killed in East Jerusalem for allegedly running at Israeli police “wielding a knife,” and a Palestinian man was shot dead in Hebron after he allegedly stabbed an Israeli soldier.

(Ma’an – www.maannews.net)