THE fatal shooting of an American-Palestinian teen driving a pick-up truck in the occupied West Bank was unprovoked, the sole passenger said.

Mohammed Salameh said at least 10 bullets, fired by Israelis, struck the vehicle killing his friend teenager Tawfic Abdel Jabbar, a native of Louisiana.

In an initial statement, Israeli police said that Friday’s shooting targeted people “purportedly engaged in rock-throwing activities along Highway 60,” a main West Bank thoroughfare. 

Police didn’t identify who fired the shots but described the incident “ostensibly involving an off-duty law enforcement officer, a soldier and a civilian.”

Mr Salameh denied suggestions he and Mr Abdel Jabbar had been throwing stones and said there had been no attempt to arrest him.

The White House, the chief military and diplomatic backer of Israel, has called for an investigation into the death. 

But Mona Abdel Jabbar said: “My son, he was killed by, I don’t want to say American bullets, but at least by American money.

“We live there, we work there. We pay taxes there. So my taxes are going to the bullet that killed my son.”

Meanwhile a major row has erupted between Qatar, a key mediator in the sensitive Israel-Hamas talks, over remarks by Prime Minister Netanyahu criticising the country’s mediation efforts with Hamas.

In a meeting with families of hostages held by Hamas, Mr Netanyahu said Qatar’s role in the mediation was “problematic.” 

Qatar described Mr Netanyahu’s remarks as “irresponsible and destructive.”

The public spat came as talks were underway over a potential ceasefire agreement. 

The fighting has killed more than 25,700 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, displaced some 85 per cent of the territory’s 2.3 million people and triggered a humanitarian catastrophe that has spread hunger, malnutrition and disease across the besieged coastal enclave.

Fierce fighting was still raging, especially in southern Gaza, where the United Nations said an Israeli tank strike on a UN facility killed at least nine people and wounded dozens.

Mr Netanyahu has vowed to press ahead with the offensive until “complete victory” against Hamas, after their surprise October 7 assault that left some 1,200 people dead and saw 250 others taken hostage.

Israel says it is fighting in self-defence, but it faces charges that it is committing genocide at the UN world court at The Hague, which announced that it would issue a decision on Friday on South Africa’s request for an interim order telling Israel to halt the hostilities.