JERUSALEM, October 7, 2015 (WAFA) – A Palestinian young woman Wednesday was seriously injured after an Israeli settler – who claimed she attempted to stab him - opened gunfire at her in Jerusalem, according to local sources.

Witnessed ascertained that the 18-year-old woman, Shorouq Dweiat, did not have a knife or any other weapon on her possession, nor did she attempt to stab the settler.

Witnesses affirmed that the settler attempted to remove Dweiat's headscarf, known as Hijab, and shoved her, and when she attempted to defend herself by shoving him back, he puled out a gun and shot her with four bullets in her upper body.

Following the incident, Israeli police who arrived at the scene cordoned off the area, and declared it  closed military zone. Police reportedly left Dweiat bleeding for almost 30 minutes before transferring her to Hadasa Ein Karem hospital in Jerusalem.

WAFA correspondent said that after the incident, Israeli police closed the gates of the Old City of Jerusalem and heavily deployed in the area.

Earlier last night, settlers stormed the Arab neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah in Jerusalem and smashed the windshields of Palestinian-owned cars, as well as slashed the tires of others.

Settlers also provocatively rallied in the Old City and chanted racist slogans, while Jerusalem’s Mayor, Nir Barkat, toured the Old City while showing off with a machine gun.

Tension has mounted across the West Bank districts and Jerusalem with Israel’s repeated assault on al-Aqsa Mosque Compound, Islam’s third holiest site, particularly its growing attempts to enforce a temporal division on the site between Muslims and Jews.

The situation has also been significantly deteriorating since the deadly arson attack on the Dawabsheh’s family home on July 31, which was carried out by Jewish settlers.

In the past two weeks alone, about seven Palestinian youths were killed by the Israeli army during an ongoing unrest across the West Bank and Jerusalem.

Similar clashes broke out late Monday and Tuesday across the West Bank districts, including in Bethlehem, Hebron, and Jerusalem.

M.N./T.R.