Palestinian Killed by Israel Troops May Have Been 'Uninvolved Bystander'

A group of Palestinians shot by Israeli forces overnight, one of them fatally, after a stone-throwing incident in the occupied West Bank, may have been "uninvolved bystanders," the Israeli army said Tuesday.

"From initial inquiry, it appears uninvolved bystanders were mistakenly hit during the pursuit," an army spokeswoman said.

Asked by Agence France Presse whether that included the person killed, she said yes, as well as those wounded. The spokeswoman said the circumstances were being investigated.

In addition to the person killed, four people were wounded, Palestinian media reported.

Official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported that the person killed was Mahmoud Rafat Badran, 15.

During the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, residents often go out and socialise after the end of the daytime fast.

The Israeli army had earlier said that troops shot two men "after a number of Palestinians hurled rocks and Molotov cocktails at moving vehicles near the village of Beit Sira on route 443".

It also said that two suspects had been arrested.

Israeli media reported that several vehicles had been damaged and two drivers lightly injured by glass from shattered windscreens when Palestinians threw bottles and stones at traffic.