The man killed on Saturday was 26-year-old Mohammad Khaled al-Osaibi from Houra.
Israeli police shot dead a Palestinian man at the entrance to the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex, raising fears of further violence.
The man killed on Saturday was 26 years old Mohammad Khaled al-Osaibi from Houra, a Bedouin Arab village in southern Israel. The incident happened around midnight near the Chain Gate, the entrance to the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex in Israeli-occupied East Jerusalem. police speak.
Palestinian worshipers at the entrance to the site on Saturday said police shot the man at least 10 times, after he tried to stop them from harassing a woman on her way to the sacred site. .
Police allege al-Osaibi tried to take a gun from an officer and shot it during an altercation.
Hours after the incident, the muddy stone alley leading to the house was still stained with blood.
Israeli police have beefed up forces in the area as tens of thousands of Muslims from Jerusalem and the Israeli-occupied West Bank gather to pray during Ramadan at the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
On Friday, more than 200,000 Palestinians gathered for noon prayer at the compound and took place in peace.
‘A lot of picture’
Noureddine, a 17-year-old who lives in the neighborhood and declined to give his last name for fear of retaliation, said he saw al-Osaibi confront police, who blocked a female follower on the street. to the mosque.
Al-Osaibi’s relationship with the woman is unclear. Noureddine said some disagreements broke out between al-Osaibi and the officers before he heard dozens of shots rang out.
“There is nothing that can justify so many shots,” he said, pointing to the chaotic video he captured of Palestinian peddlers and worshipers screaming as they heard the gunshots. consecutive. “They were all at close range.”
Palestinian media widely reported that al-Osaibi was a doctor who recently studied medicine in Romania.
Noureddine said police tried to force street vendors and Palestinian worshipers out of the area after the incident, beating him and others with batons. Israeli police closed the site for a short time before reopening for dawn prayers.
In previous years, the month of Ramadan has seen Israeli police attack Palestinians gathered around the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex in Jerusalem, Islam’s third holiest site. This year’s Ramadan coincides with the Jewish Passover and the Christian Easter.
In 2021, deport Palestinian families from their homes in Jerusalem was the catalyst for widespread Palestinian protests across Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory.
Raids on the Al-Aqsa Mosque by Israeli security forces during the month of Ramadan increased tensions and four days later an attack occurred. Israel attacked Gaza for 11 days began, ostensibly in response to rockets fired by Hamas towards Israel.
