Gaza teenager shot dead in protest near Israel border

Palestinian health ministry says Abdel-Rahman Al-Dabbagh was shot by Israeli troops

A Palestinian youth was shot and killed during a protest near the Gaza-Israel border on Friday.

Gaza health ministry spokesman Ashraf Al-Qidra said 16 year-old Abdel-Rahman Al-Dabbagh was killed by an Israeli bullet to the head during the border clash in the central Gaza Strip.

The Israeli military issued a statement denying responsibility for the shooting saying its troops had sought to contain violence that had broken out during the protest.

"Dozens of rioters breached the buffer zone and attempted to damage the security (border) fence...Forces stationed at the border used tear gas that led to the dispersal of the riot. Following a preliminary review, the Israel Defence Forces did not conduct the reported shooting," a military statement said.

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In violence since October in the occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip, at least 210 Palestinians have been killed, 141 of whom Israel said were assailants. Others died during clashes and protests.

Palestinians, many of them acting alone and with rudimentary weapons, have killed at least 33 Israelis and two visiting Americans.

Palestinian leaders say assailants have acted out of desperation over the collapse of peace talks in 2014 and Israeli settlement expansion in Israeli-occupied territory that Palestinians seek for an independent state.