TEHRAN, Young Journalists Club (YJC) -An Israeli police spokesperson said a 30-year-old man approached a group of Israeli forces standing outside the al-Aqsa Mosque compound, and apparently tried to stab one of the officers.
The alleged stabber was then neutralized by Israeli soldiers, and was confirmed dead shortly afterwards.
Palestinian witnesses, requesting anonymity, said Israeli forces closed four doors to the mosque compound in the wake of the alleged stabbing attack, and sealed off Damascus Gate area as well.
The dramatic shift in Washington’s policy vis-à-vis Jerusalem al-Quds on December 6 last year has triggered demonstrations in the occupied Palestinian territories, Iran, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, Tunisia, Algeria, Iraq, Morocco and other Muslim countries.
On December 21 last year, the United Nations General Assembly overwhelmingly voted in favor of a resolution that calls on the US to withdraw its controversial recognition of Jerusalem al-Quds as Israeli “capital.”
In an attempt to prevent the passing of the resolution, Trump threatened reprisals against countries that backed the measure, which had earlier faced a US veto at the UN Security Council.
Two Palestinians shot dead, over 100 injured in Gaza rally
Later on Friday, two young Palestinians lost their lives and more than a hundred others sustained injuries during anti-occupation protests along the border between the besieged Gaza Strip and the Israeli-occupied territories.
The spokesman for the Gaza Ministry of Health, Ashraf al-Qidra, said in a statement that 30-year-old Kareem Abu Fatair had been fatally shot east of Bureij refugee camp.
It added that Sadi Moamer, 26, was also shot dead by Israeli troops near Rafah in southern Gaza Strip.
The statement that 26 Palestinian protesters were struck with live bullets. A total of 55 demonstrators were treated on sight, while another 45 were transported to nearby hospitals to receive medical treatment. There were four paramedics among the wounded Gazans.
Nearly 170 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces ever since protests rallies against the decades-long Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands began in the Gaza Strip on March 30.
A total of 14,811 Palestinians have also sustained injuries, of whom 366 are reportedly in critical condition.
The Gaza Ministry of Health in a report released on Saturday announced that more than 18,000 Palestinians have also sustained injuries, of whom 370 are paramedics.
Additionally, nearly 70 ambulances have been damaged since the start of "The Great March of Return" protests in the besieged coastal sliver.
The Gaza clashes reached their peak on May 14, on the eve of the 70th anniversary of Nakba Day (Day of Catastrophe), which coincided this year with the US embassy relocation from Tel Aviv to occupied East Jerusalem al-Quds.
On June 13, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution, sponsored by Turkey and Algeria, condemning Israel for Palestinian civilian deaths in the Gaza Strip.
The resolution, which had been put forward on behalf of Arab and Muslim countries, garnered a strong majority of 120 votes in the 193-member assembly, with 8 votes against and 45 abstentions.
The resolution called on UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres to make proposals within 60 days “on ways and means for ensuring the safety, protection, and well-being of the Palestinian civilian population under Israeli occupation,” including “recommendations regarding an international protection mechanism.”
It also called for “immediate steps towards ending the closure and the restrictions imposed by Israel on movement and access into and out of the Gaza Strip.”
Source: Press TV