Palestinian martyred, 16 wounded in Israeli aggression in West Bank

JENIN (AFP) - A Palestinian was martyred and 16 wounded Tuesday when Israeli troops entered Jenin in the occupied West Bank to carry out a home demolition, the Palestinian Health Ministry said.

"The outcome of the Israeli aggression on Jenin at dawn today: a 29-year-old martyr and 16 wounded with bullets and shrapnel were admitted to hospitals," the ministry said.

Palestinian official news agency Wafa identified the dead man as Mohammed Musa Mohammed Sabaaneh, 29.

Sabaaneh's father, Musa Sabaaneh told AFP that a soldier "inside a jeep fired a bullet" at his son. "We were asleep and did not know the news. We received a call that my son was seriously injured," he said.

Thousands of mourners gathered in Jenin as Sabaaneh's body was paraded through the streets at his funeral. Laid alongside his body was an assault rifle emblazoned with the emblem of Saraya al-Quds, the armed wing of Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad.

Human rights activists say Israel's policy of demolishing the homes of suspected attackers amounts to collective punishment, as it can render non-combatants, including children, homeless. Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967, when it captured the territory from Jordan.