BETHLEHEM, Sunday, May 19, 2024 (WAFA) – Israeli occupation forces stationed at a military checkpoint southeast of occupied Jerusalem fatally shot a Palestinian young man this afternoon, according to local sources and witnesses.

The sources reported that Israeli occupation soldiers opened fire intensively at Rami Taqatqa, 44 years old, from the town of Beit Fajjar, south of Bethlehem, as he was passing through the Container military separating the central and southern West Bank.

Medical teams and ambulances were blocked from reaching him to provide medical assistance, witnesses added.

Subsequently, Israeli forces handed over the body of the martyr Taqatqa to the Palestinian Red Crescent ambulance crews, who transported him to Al-Hussein Hospital in the nearby city of Beit Jala.

Following the shooting, Israeli forces completely sealed off the checkpoint, causing a severe traffic jam and blocking the road ahead of the Palestinian traffic.

Following the gunfire, Israeli forces completely sealed off the entrances to the neighboring towns of Al-Eizariya, Abu Dis, and Al-Sawahreh, preventing entry and exit simultaneously with the closure of the checkpoint.

M.N