RAMALLAH, Thursday, August 15, 2019 (WAFA) – A Palestinian who was not identified and who was earlier this afternoon shot and injured by Israeli police inside the Old City of occupied Jerusalem has died of his wounds, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
It said the situation of a second Palestinian who was shot and taken away by the Israeli forces was not known, while a third Palestinian who was shot in the thigh apparently by mistake and taken to a Palestinian hospital in Jerusalem was reported in moderate condition, said the Ministry of Health.
Witnesses said Israeli police and a Jewish settler opened fire at the Palestinians after they allegedly came under attack, injuring at least three, one of them a guard at Al-Aqsa Mosque identified as Omran Rajabi.
The Red Crescent said while its ambulances were able to transport a Palestinian who was shot in the thigh to a hospital in East Jerusalem for treatment, they were not allowed by police to reach the other wounded Palestinians, who were taken away by Israeli ambulances and held in custody.
Israeli reports said a policeman was stabbed and injured before opening fire at Palestinians near Chain Gate in Jerusalem‘s Old City, one of the gates leading to the walled Al-Aqsa Mosque, injuring at least three.
Israeli police are constantly present at all the gates leading to the Muslim holy compound, which they closed after the alleged stabbing attack and prevented Muslims from entering it for the evening prayer.
Officials from the Islamic Waqf, which is in charge of Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, said police stormed the compound and forced all those present inside to leave it.
At the same time, calls were made on Muslims to rush to their mosque and hold the prayers at its gates if the Israeli police insist on closing its gates.
Police later opened all gates to the holy place and allowed Waqf employees and women over 50 years of age to enter the compound for the evening prayer while men held the prayer outside its gates in a protest move against closing the gates and not allowing free worship.
T.R.
