Palestinian shot dead by Israel's military police near al-Aqsa gate
A Palestinian citizen of Israel was shot dead in the Old City of Jerusalem on Friday after he was suspected of attempting to stab a policeman, according to an Israeli military police statement cited by Haaretz.
An Israeli ID card found at the scene showed that he was 30-year-old from Umm al-Fahm, a town about about an hour's drive from the northern city of Haifa.
Videos on social media showed dozens of Israeli military police rushing to al-Nazer Gate, which leads to the al-Aqsa compound.
Middle East Eye could not immediately confirm the identity of the man or the details of the incident.
Al-Araby Al-Jadeed newspaper reported that the Israeli forces prevented Palestinians from entering al-Aqsa Mosque for the Maghrib (sunset) prayer after the shooting, and it closed the gates of the mosque's compound after evacuating Palestinians from it.
The Old City of Jerusalem is in Israeli-occupied East Jerusalem, which Palestinians seek as their capital for a future state.
There are around 1.6 million Palestinian citizens of Israel today, making up 20 percent of the country's population.
New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch
Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters
Middle East Eye delivers independent and unrivalled coverage and analysis of the Middle East, North Africa and beyond. To learn more about republishing this content and the associated fees, please fill out this form. More about MEE can be found here.
