Israeli forces kill Palestinian man over alleged car-ramming attack

Israeli military forces have fatally shot a Palestinian man in the southern part of West Bank over alleged stabbing attack as the Tel Aviv regime tightens grip on al-Aqsa Mosque compound in the wake of an operation conducted by three Palestinians, which left two Israeli police officers dead.

Israel's army alleged in a statement that a Palestinian man, who was later identified as 29-year-old Rafaat Nathmi Shukri Hirbawi, attempted a car-ramming attack against a group of Israeli soldiers at the entrance to the village of Beit Einun, located five kilometers northeast of al-Khalil (Hebron), on Tuesday afternoon.

Israeli forces responded by firing their weapons at the man, killing him. 

Israel's emergency medical service, Magen David Adom, said two soldiers in their 20s were injured in the purported attack, whom were transferred to Shaare Zedek hospital in Jerusalem al-Quds for treatment.

Other reports say that two pedestrians in their 60s were also wounded in the alleged car-ramming assault.

On July 14, three Palestinians opened fire on Israeli forces at al-Aqsa Mosque compound before being shot dead.

Meanwhile, dozens of Palestinians were injured on Monday evening, when Israeli forces violently dispersed Muslim worshipers who were performing evening prayers in the streets outside al-Aqsa Mosque compound in opposition to increased Israeli security measures at the holy site, which include installing metal detectors and cameras, following the deadly shooting attack.

Witnesses said Israeli police officers on horseback assaulted worshipers, who tried to approach Lions’ Gate of Jerusalem al-Quds.

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said more than 50 people were injured during the imbroglio. Sixteen Palestinians were reportedly struck with rubber-coated steel bullets, nine were wounded by shrapnel from stun grenades, and 25 suffered bruises after being beaten and kicked by Israeli forces.

The occupied Palestinian territories have witnessed new tensions ever since Israeli forces introduced restrictions on the entry of Palestinian worshipers into the al-Aqsa Mosque compound in East Jerusalem al-Quds in August 2015.

More than 300 Palestinians have lost their lives at the hands of Israeli forces in the ongoing tensions since the beginning of October 2015.

The Tel Aviv regime has tried to change the demographic makeup of Jerusalem al-Quds over the past decades by constructing settlements, destroying historical sites and expelling the local Palestinian population. Palestinians say the Israeli measures are aimed at paving the way for the Judaization of the city.

The al-Aqsa Mosque compound is a flashpoint Islamic site, which is also holy to Jews. The mosque is Islam’s third holiest site after Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia.

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