JERUSALEM, October 30, 2014 (WAFA) – Israeli police and undercover forces shot dead early Thursday a Palestinian and injured three others south of the Al-Aqsa Mosque in East Jerusalem.

Before sunrise, Israeli police and undercover forces raided al-Thuri neighborhood and shot Mu‘taz Hijazi, 32, in the back and left him to bleed to death on the rooftop of his house.

Many Palestinians attempted to access Hijazi’s house to take him to a hospital, but Israeli police opened rubber-coated steel bullets and tear gas canisters toward anyone attempting to approach the scene.

At least six Palestinians were injured while dozens others suffered from excessive tear gas inhalation. Three injured Palestinians were identified as Mohammd Zaghlol, Mu‘tasem Shweiki and Mahdi Barqan. They arrested Hijazi’s father, Ibrahim, and brother, Odai.  

Police claimed that Hijazi shot and seriously wounded Israeli far-right extremist Rabbi Yehuda Glick, 50, during an annual event organized by the ‘Temple Mount and Eretz Yisrael Faithful Movement’ in Jerusalem on Wednesday evening.

Hijazi, a former prisoner, was arrested on December 6 in 2000 and sentenced to eleven years and a half for charges for allegedly posing a security threat to Israel. He served 10 years in solitary confinement before being released in 2012.

Glick is a member of ‘Temple Mount & Land of Israel Faithful Movement’ that lists among its long term objectives ‘liberating the Temple Mount from the Arab (Islamic) occupation’, which translates namely into demolishing Al-Aqsa Mosque and rebuilding the so-called ‘third temple’.

Recounting the Israeli raid on her family’s house, Hijazi’s sister, Shayma’ said that police and undercover forces raided the neighborhood where her family’s house is located, surrounded and opened heavy fire at the house, injuring her brother, Mu‘taz, and leaving him bleeding to death. They also ransacked Hijazi’s room.

At the time of publishing the story, Israel is still holding Hijazi’s body to perform an autopsy as the family speculates.

Palestinian Minister of Prisoners Affairs Issa Qaraqe‘accused the Israeli occupation authorities of pursuing former Palestinian prisoners, such as Hijazi, re-arresting or cold-bloodedly assassinating them.

In the aftermath of this killing, Israeli police shut down all the gates of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, barring Palestinian worshippers and students from accessing it until further notice in an unprecedented measure since the Israeli occupation of the Holy City in June 1967.

Police only allowed the Mosque’s Director Omar Kiswani together with other seven personnel to access the compound.

Minister of Waqf and Religious Affairs Yousef Ideiss considered the closure of the mosque as a new conspiracy to divide the Mosque and urged particular attention to this step that jeopardizes Muslims’ exclusive right to the Mosque religiously, politically and legally.

K.F/M.H