Ramallah: Israeli occupation forces have shot and killed yet another Palestinian, this time a 20-year-old man from the town of Adhan, west of Hebron.
Mahmoud Yahya Abu Jaisha reportedly tried to attack a group of Israeli soldiers with a knife in revenge for the killing of 17-year-old Ali Abu Ghannam by an Israeli soldier on Saturday.
Sources in Hebron told Gulf News that Abu Jaisha attempted to stab an Israeli soldier from the Border Police Unit when two other soldiers opened fire on Abu Jaishah, who was struck by several bullets in the head and chest.
The sources said that Israeli forces at the checkpoint at one of the gates of Al Haram Al Sharif denied access to Palestinian ambulances attempting to save the life of Abu Jaisha. Instead, the young man was left on the ground bleeding until he died.
His body was later handed to Palestinian medics who took him to Hebron Public Hospital for burial.
“The Israeli armed forces could have easily arrested Abu Jaisha without the need to assassinate him,” said Monther Abu Al Failat, the Head of Al Haram Al Sharif.
The Israeli armed forces sealed the gates leading to Al Haram Al Sharif after the operation and prevented Palestinians from offering their daily prayers at the mosque.
“Al Haram Al Sharif is a sacred site that should be out of any violent game and should be spared closure, raids and other Israeli punitive measures,” Abu Al Failat told Gulf News. “No matter what happens, the gates which lead to the mosque must remain open all the time. Al Haram is a key Muslim landmark and the Israelis should not seal it as a collective punishment.”
On Saturday, an Israeli soldier shot and killed a Palestinian teenager at the Al Zaeem checkpoint in occupied East Jerusalem. The Israeli soldier had refused to allow Ali Abu Ghannam and his girlfriend to cross the checkpoint leading to an altercation and the use of deadly force. His death sparked clashes in his neighbourhood of Al Tour in occupied East Jerusalem.
