Islamic Jihad, a Palestinian resistance faction, has condemned Wednesday's abduction and murder of a Palestinian teenager in a suspected "revenge" attack by Jewish settlers.
"We condemn the ongoing crimes by settler gangs backed by the Zionist [Israeli] army and terrorist government of [Prime Minister] Benjamin Netanyahu," the movement declared in a statement.
Earlier Wednesday, Israeli police found the charred remains of Mohamed Abu Khdeer, a 16-year-old Palestinian, in an Arab neighborhood in Jerusalem.
A security camera near Abu Khdeer's home showed what appeared to be Jewish settlers abducting the boy as he was going to perform dawn prayers at the nearby Al-Aqsa Mosque.
In video footage, the kidnappers can be seen forcing the boy into their car before speeding off.
The killing came two days after the bodies of three Jewish settlers – who went missing from a West Bank settlement on June 12 – were found near the West Bank city of Hebron.
The Israeli government has accused Gaza-based resistance faction Hamas of abducting and killing the trio – allegations the group categorically denies.
In its Wednesday statement, Islamic Jihad described Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem as "legitimate targets for our people and their resistance."
"The [Israeli] occupation government and its terrorist army are responsible for the continuing aggression against our people, land and holy sites," the statement read.
By Mustafa Haboosh
englishnews@aa.com.tr
www.aa.com.tr/en
