Ramallah, August 7 (RHC)-- A Palestinian teenager has died of wounds suffered during a brutal attack perpetrated by an Israeli settler in the occupied West Bank three days ago.   The 17-year-old Ramzi Fathi Hamed succumbed to his injuries on Monday morning, local news outlets reported, further citing witnesses as saying that the youth was shot and critically wounded near the town of Silwad, east of Ramallah, when a Zionist settler opened fire at a vehicle he was riding in. 

The armed assailant was reportedly the guard for the nearby Ofra settlement.

Hamed's death brings to 219 the number of Palestinians killed by Israeli forces and Zionist settlers in the occupied Palestinian territories and the besieged Gaza Strip since the start of the year.  The development comes as a general strike has been declared in Jenin in the occupied West Bank to mourn the three victims of a separate attack on local Palestinians by the Israeli regime forces.

The National and Islamic Forces in Jenin Province on Sunday called on people from all walks of life to join the strike action on Monday.

The three victims were killed when Israeli forces opened fire at a vehicle they were riding in near the town of Arraba, south of Jenin.   The regime forces prevented an ambulance from reaching the victims.  Israeli forces later seized the corpse of the three Palestinian as well as the vehicle.

The Israeli forces continued to conduct raids in several parts across the occupied territories on Monday, arresting 16 people, including two in Jenin.  The arrests were also reported in Bethlehem, Nablus, Ramallah and al-Quds.

Israeli troops carry out attacks against Palestinians across the occupied territories on nearly daily basis.  Over the past months, the Western-backed Israeli regime has ramped up attacks on Palestinian towns and cities throughout the occupied territories.  As the result of the persisting attacks, dozens of Palestinians have been killed and many others were illegally taken into custody.