Israeli forces have shot dead a young Palestinian man after he allegedly stabbed two officers in the Old City of occupied al-Quds as tensions have been running high in the city over the Tel Aviv regime’s planned eviction of Palestinian families and relentless attacks on Palestinians who pray at the al-Aqsa Mosque compound.
The official Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that the incident took place at Bab al-Qataneen neighborhood on Monday evening.
Israeli police closed all entrances leading to the Old City of al-Quds and deployed their heavily armed troops in the aftermath of the alleged attack.
The Israeli police alleged in a statement that the Palestinian man had attacked two officers near an entrance to the al-Aqsa Mosque compound, prompting them to respond with gunfire.
The officers were moderately hurt in the alleged stabbing attack. Israel’s emergency services said the two men in their 20s were treated at the scene and then taken to the Shaare Zedek and Hadassah Mount Scopus hospitals in the city.
The Palestinian youth, identified as Abdul Rahman Qasim, succumbed to his gunshot wounds.
Photo | Local sources: "The Palestinian youth, Abdul Rahman Qasim, was shot dead by the Israeli occupation forces following an alleged stabbing operation in occupied Jerusalem".#FreePalestine pic.twitter.com/iHfgjT1GQm
— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) March 7, 2022
Footage from the scene showed the two officers standing over the man, who appears to be lying on the ground shortly after the attack.
One of the officers opens fire, then stands on top of the alleged attacker, while shouting obscenities.
Earlier on Monday, Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh condemned the killing of an young Palestinian man over an alleged stabbing attack in the Old City of occupied al-Quds, saying the Tel Aviv regime continues to escalate its repressive measures and attacks across the occupied territories through field execution of youths.
“Israel continues to intensify its aggression in large parts of our land, taking advantage of the international community's preoccupation with the ongoing Ukraine conflict,” Shtayyeh said at a weekly cabinet meeting in the central West Bank city of Ramallah.
He warned of “the dangerous repercussions of the escalation of killings and field executions committed by the Israeli forces in the Palestinian territories.”
On Sunday, Israeli forces shot dead a Palestinian teenager after he allegedly stabbed two officers in the Old City of al-Quds.
The incident took place at Bab Hutta, one of the gates to the al-Aqsa Mosque compound, at approximately 4:30 a.m. local time (0230 GMT).
The youth was identified as 19-year-old Kareem Jamal al-Qawasmi. He was pronounced dead by medical personnel who arrived at the scene shortly afterwards.