Police shoot Palestinians on Temple Mount

Dhe Israeli police shot and killed a 26-year-old man in an incident in Jerusalem’s Old City near the Al-Aqsa Mosque. The man grabbed an officer’s gun during questioning and fired two shots, the police said on Saturday night. Then he was shot. The man comes from an Arab village in the Negev desert in southern Israel.

According to the Israeli news site “ynet”, an eyewitness reported that the medical student was shot dead at close range after he rushed to help a woman during a dispute with the police. According to this, around ten shots were fired at the man. The police repeatedly dismissed the reports as “false”. The 26-year-old’s family called for clarification and the publication of recordings of the incident.

A police spokesman said there was no camera on the premises to record the incident. The cameras of the security forces on site would not have taken any pictures either. Several Israeli media reported doubts about the portrayal. A two-day general strike was called in the 26-year-old’s village on Saturday. Other Arab cities in Israel wanted to join on Sunday.

The incident reportedly happened at an entrance to the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound – the third holiest place in Islam. According to official figures, more than 200,000 Muslims celebrated the second Friday in Ramadan there the day before. Before the start of the Muslim month of fasting, there were fears that the already tense security situation in the country would deteriorate. According to the police, the first week passed without any major incidents.

Violent confrontations between Palestinians and Israeli security forces have repeatedly occurred in the area around the Al-Aqsa Mosque in recent years. In 2021, the situation escalated into an 11-day conflict between Israel and Gaza’s ruling Hamas.