NABLUS: Relatives and gunmen carry the body of Mohammed Daadas, 13, during his funeral at the Askar camp for Palestinian refugees in the occupied West Bank yesterday. - AFP

JERUSALEM: A Palestinian teenager killed on Friday by Zionist troops during West Bank protests was laid to rest yesterday, days after the Zionist entity approved plans for 3,000 new settler homes in the occupied territory despite international criticism. Friday, the Muslim day of rest and worship, is often marked by protests in the West Bank against the expansion of Zionist settlements, which most of the international community regards as illegal.

The Palestinian health ministry said Mohammed Daadas, 13, died in hospital after being shot in the stomach during clashes between Palestinian protesters and Zionist forces in Deir al-Hatab village, east of Nablus. Palestinian prime minister Mohammed Shtayyeh said Friday the death of Daadas was "organized state terrorism", according to the official Palestinian news agency Wafa.

Five other Palestinians were injured Friday in clashes in Beita and Beit Dajan villages in the northern West Bank, Wafa said. The confrontations come days after the Zionist entity on Oct 27 announced it would advance plans for 3,000 more homes for Jewish settlers in the West Bank, despite international criticism.

The approvals came a day after the United States criticized the Zionist entity for its policy of building settlements. President Joe Biden's administration said it "strongly" opposed new construction in the West Bank. About 475,000 Zionist settlers now live in fortified communities in the West Bank, which is home to more than 2.8 million Palestinians.

Palestinians eye the West Bank, which the Zionist entity captured in the 1967 Six-Day War, as part of a future state, while hardline Zionists including Prime Minister Naftali Bennett say it is a heartland of Jewish history. Bennett has ruled out formal peace talks with the Palestinian Authority (PA), saying he prefers to focus on economic improvements.

Also on Friday, the European Union delegation to the Palestinians said it was "alarmed" about the condition of Palestinian prisoners Miqdad Al-Qawasmeh and Kayed Fasfous, who have refused food for more than 100 days to protest their detention, Wafa said. The pair, who the agency said have been in hospital for more than a month, are held in administrative detention.

The Zionist entity says the procedure, in which detainees are held without charge or trial for renewable six-month periods, is intended to allow authorities to hold suspects while continuing to gather evidence. Palestinians and human rights advocates say the protocol violates due process and leads to abuse.

"(Zionist) authorities must respect international law and cease the extensive use of administrative detention without formal charges, as well as avoid loss of life," the EU delegation wrote on Twitter. According to Palestinian prisoners' right group Addameer more than 4,000 Palestinians are held in Zionist jails, including some 500 in administrative detention. - AFP