Palestinian shot dead by Israeli occupation troops in Bethlehem

The Palestinian Ministry of Health announced on Tuesday the killing of a Palestinian after he was shot by Israeli forces in confrontations with occupation troops in Bit Jala, Bethlehem city in the occupied West Bank.

The ministry did not divulge any details about the identity of the dead Palestinian while the occupation troops took positions in some parts of Bethlehem.

Scores of Palestinians were killed by occupation troops in past months as Israel claimed they were killed while trying to stab Israelis.

In November, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to expedite house demolitions in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, which he said were "one of the most efficient tools" in discouraging Palestinian attacks.

The controversial practice, which critics claim amounts to collective punishment, is widely used in the West Bank and resumed in east Jerusalem in November after a five-year hiatus.

Source: MENA