NABLUS (AP) – Israeli troops shot and killed an armed 17-year-old Palestinian in the Balata refugee camp near Nablus on Thursday, the army and a militant said.

The troops killed the teenager and severely wounded his friend as a convoy of Jewish worshippers left the Joseph”s Tomb holy site, where some observant Jews believe the biblical Joseph is buried. Muslims say it is the burial site of a Muslim sheik. The site has been a flashpoint of fighting during nearly five years of violence.

The teenagers belonged to the Al Aqsa Martyrs” Brigades, a militant group linked to the ruling Fatah party, and Ala Sanakra, a leader of the group, vowed to avenge the killing.

When the worshippers were on their way into Nablus before midnight, an unarmed Palestinian teenager was critically wounded when soldiers securing the convoy exchanged fire with militants.

In the past, Palestinians have desecrated and burned the tomb after acts of violence in the area.