A Palestinian boy was killed on Tuesday after being struck by a vehicle in the security convoy of an Israeli minister in the occupied West Bank.
The boy was identified as Mohammad Majdi al-Jaabir, 16, from the southern West Bank city of Hebron.
He was riding his bicycle to school when he was run over shortly after 6am local time, according to Wafa news agency.
The vehicle that hit him belonged to Magen, a security company that protects Israeli officials.
A security source told Haaretz the convoy was en route to secure settlement minister Orit Strock, who lives in an illegal Israeli settlement in Hebron.
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Other reports said the vehicle was part of the convoy of Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, who also resides in an illegal settlement in the city.
The far-right minister’s office denied involvement, saying the vehicle “was not the minister’s and the minister was not at the scene”.
It added that the Palestinian teenager had crossed a red light, causing the collision, and said the driver was receiving hospital treatment. Media reports said he was lightly wounded.
Israeli police said they had opened an investigation into the incident.
Settlements
The collision took place on Route 60, which leads to the Kiryat Arba settlement, at the Beit Einun junction near Hebron.
Reports said the boy had been riding a bicycle and was critically wounded before his death was later confirmed.
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Established in 1968, Kiryat Arba is one of the most significant Israeli settlements in the West Bank and a stronghold of religious Zionism and extremist settlers.
It is home to the grave of Baruch Goldstein, who carried out the 1994 Ibrahimi Mosque massacre, killing at least 29 Palestinian Muslim worshippers, including children.
The settlement also contains Kahane Park, named after Rabbi Meir Kahane, founder of Kach, a Jewish supremacist movement designated as a terrorist organisation by both the United States and Israel.
Around 700,000 Israeli settlers, including senior government ministers, live in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem across more than 300 settlements and outposts.
Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories are widely considered illegal under international law.