February 22, 2020: Maher Ibrahim Zaatra, 33, was shot and killed by the Israeli police in Bab al-Asbat area in the Old City of occupied Jerusalem.
Israeli police opened a barrage of gunfire toward the Palestinian man at Lions’ Gate of Jerusalem’s Old City, reportedly after attempting a stabbing attack.
Witnesses told the Palestinian News Agency Wafa that the man, who was not immediately identified, was shot several times and was left to bleed on the ground before Israeli paramedics arrived at the scene.
The man was identified as Maher Ibrahim Zaatra, 33. He was a father of three children, and his wife is pregnant, from Jabal al-Mokabber village, south of occupied East Jerusalem. Video clips show the young man lying motionless on the ground, with a large police force at the scene.
In an act of retribution and collective punishment, the soldiers invaded the home of the slain Palestinian, ransacked the property, before abducting his mother, and two brothers.
First Published on: Feb 23, 2020 at 00:34
Israeli forces have, in the past, made false claims about Palestinians who they said were attacking Israeli soldiers when they were shot, but were found upon closer evidence to have been the victims of trigger-happy soldiers who were not under threat at all.
Maher was from Jabal al-Mokabber village, south of occupied East Jerusalem. Source: IMEMC