Palestinian media reported that an 11-year-old boy, identified as Mohammad Bahjat Al-Hallaq, was shot dead by the Israel Defense Forces in the southern West Bank on Thursday evening, with the IDF saying the following day that a probe was underway.

According to the reports, the incident occurred in the village of al-Rihiya, south of Hebron.

The official Palestinian Authority news agency WAFA claimed that troops opened fire on a group of children while they were playing soccer on a school playground and that Al-Hallaq was struck in the pelvis. He was rushed to the hospital in critical condition and later pronounced dead.

In response to a Times of Israel inquiry, the IDF acknowledged Friday that it had opened fire on “suspects” in the Hebron area the previous day.

“Yesterday, during an operational activity in the area of al-Rihiya, [under the responsibility] the Judea Brigade, disturbances and........

© The Times of Israel