Jerusalem

Dr. Hazem al-Jolani

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September 10, 2021: Dr. Hazem al-Jolani, 50, was killed by Israeli soldiers near Bab al-Majles (The Council Gate) in the Old City of occupied Jerusalem after the army claimed that he “attempted to stab a soldier.”

The Palestinian Detainees’ Committee stated that Dr. Hazem suffered serious wounds before he was transferred to Hadassah Israeli medical center in Jerusalem, where he succumbed to his injuries.

A video filmed by a Palestinian photojournalist, identified as Ibrahim Sinjilawi, revealed that, after the soldiers shot the Palestinian physician, they handcuffed him, before then a soldier placed his foot and then his knee on the wounded man’s back, despite his upper back gunshot injuries.

The soldiers could also be seen greeting each other, and one shaking another officer’s hand.

Video By Ibrahim Sinjilawi

After shooting the man, the soldiers prevented the Palestinians, including medics, from approaching him, and later an Israeli ambulance arrived at the scene and took him to Hadassah.

He was officially pronounced dead due to his serious wounds, shortly after arriving in Hadassah.

It is worth mentioning that Dr. al-Jolani was specialized in physical therapy and served as the director of The Ryan College of Complementary Medicine in Jerusalem.

Furthermore, the soldiers abducted Mo’tasem al-Jolani, the brother of the slain Palestinian doctor.

Israeli sources claimed that Dr. Jolani allegedly “attempted to stab a soldier, before the army opened fire at him, causing serious wounds”, and added that the man was moved to Hadassah Ein Karem Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.

The sources added that the injured soldier, 19, sustained a mild wound to the leg by a ricocheting bullet fired by the soldiers and was transferred to Shaare Zedek Medical Center In Jerusalem.

After the fatal shooting, the army and the police closed Bab al-Majles and the al-Waad Street leading to it, in addition to pushing dozens of soldiers, officers, undercover troops, and security agents in the entire area.

The army then closed all the gates of the Old City and installed dozens of military roadblocks.

Israel sources claimed that, while Palestinian protesters were present in the courtyards of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, not far from the scene of the alleged stabbing attack, “there were no reports of confrontations with the soldiers or the police.”

Dr. Hazem was from Shu’fat, north of Jerusalem, in the West Bank. Source: IMEMC

Ali Burqan

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August 28th, 2021: Ali Burqan, 17, was killed in an accident that took place during a home demolition ordered by Israeli authorities. He was killed when a wall collapsed on him, while he and many residents were helping their neighbors who were forced by Israel to demolish their home in occupied Jerusalem.

Maan said the boy, identified as Ali Burqan, 17, was killed when a wall collapsed on him during the manual demolition of a home in the al-Marwaha Street in Beit Hanina, north of Jerusalem.

It added that dozens of Palestinians were helping the family who was forced to demolish its home under the pretext of not being licensed by the City council in occupied Jerusalem.

The family was forced to demolish its home to avoid the excessively high fines and fees which they would incur if the City Council demolished the property using its workers and equipment.

On Friday, a Palestinian family in occupied Jerusalem was also forced to demolish its home in Silwan town, south of the Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Israel’s policy of rejecting building permit applications from Palestinians started many years ago and has led to the displacement of hundreds of Palestinian families following the demolition of their homes.

Many Palestinians in the occupied city resort to constructing their homes without permits due to Israel’s continued refusal to issue these permits, while the growing families find themselves living in small homes or apartments.

At the same time, Israel continues to build and expand its illegal, segregated colonies in the occupied West Bank, including Jerusalem, in direct violation of International Law, the Fourth Geneva Convention in addition to various United Nations and Security Council resolutions.

On Wednesday, the soldiers demolished an under-construction Palestinian home in Silwan, a home on the al-Walaja village, northwest of Bethlehem, and a car repair facility in addition to the foundation of an under-construction mosque, a well, and a toilet room, in Hebron, in the southern West Bank.

According to data by the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions (ICAHD), demolished 865 structures, displacing 1,014 people, and directly affecting 5,615 people. In addition to demolishing 2,586 buildings in the Negev, in the year 2020.

Ali was from Beit Hanina, north of Jerusalem. Source: IMEMC

Shaher Abu Khadija

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May 16, 2021: Shaher Abu Khadija, 41, was killed by Israeli soldiers at a military roadblock near Jerusalem, in the West Bank.

Media sources said the young man drove his car into an Israeli military roadblock at the entrance of the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in Jerusalem.

The Israeli army claimed the crash was intentional, and added that seven soldiers were injured, two critically, and added that the soldiers opened fire at the car, immediately killing the driver.

Eyewitnesses said Shaher was not trying to ram the soldiers with his car but was speeding and was surprised by the soldiers on the street, before trying to swerve to avoid them.

Shortly after the accident, the soldiers attacked nearby Palestinian homes and fired teargas bombs and stun grenades into them, in addition to abducting two young men.

Sheikh Jarrah is the neighborhood in occupied East Jerusalem where the current tensions began. At least 550 indigenous Palestinians, from twenty-eight families live in Sheikh Jarrah and are facing eviction and displacement from their homes they have inhabited for more than 48 years.

Despite allegations by the illegal Israeli colonialist settlers of ownership of the Palestinian homes, the government of Jordan provided Israel with official deeds proving their ownership of the properties.

However, Israel’s government and colonialist groups, are ongoing with their attempts to control more Palestinian lands, for the benefit of its illegal colonialist activities, especially to link the neighborhood with other nearby colonies.

Shaher was from the neighborhood of Kafr Aqeb north of Jerusalem. Source: IMEMC

Osama Sidqi Mansour

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April 6th, 2021: Osama Sidqi Mansour, 42, was shot and killed by Israeli soldiers, and his wife was shot in the back and injured, when the soldiers opened fire at their car near the occupied Palestinian capital, Jerusalem, in the West Bank.

The Palestinian Health Ministry confirmed that the soldiers shot Osama Sidqi Mansour, 42, with a live round in the head while he was driving his car on the road between Biddu village to al-Jeeb town, northwest of Jerusalem.

The Ministry added that Osama’s wife was also injured in the same incident, after the soldiers shot her in the back, and was rushed to a Palestinian hospital in Ramallah. Her condition was described as stable.

The army claimed that its soldiers were “operating” in Bir Nibala nearby village before the driver “attempted to ram them with his car.”

The Israeli military spokesperson alleged that the soldiers set up a roadblock and were standing there in order to close the area while the army operated nearby before the Palestinian driver “approached them with his car and started talking to the soldiers before he suddenly sped towards them before they opened fire.

The allegations were strongly refuted by the family and were described as another Israeli attempt to justify a cold-blooded murder.

Talking to reporters from his hospital bed, the wounded wife said, “we were heading back home, and on the road, we saw two Israeli military vehicles, and many soldiers on the road; they stopped our car, along with many cars, but one soldier told us we could go.”

“But that is when the soldiers started shooting at our car, my husband was hit while driving and slumped over my chest,” she added, “I first realized I was shot, and tried to tell him, but this is when he was hit with their bullets….”

Eyewitnesses, including Fateh movement secretary in Jerusalem, Adel Abu Zneid, told the Palestinian News & Info Agency (WAFA) the incident took place approximately at 3:30 am, before dawn, and added that a soldier hurled a concussion grenade at the man’s car before he tried to drive away from it, and then the soldiers then opened fire at his car.

Osama was from Biddu village, northwest of occupied Jerusalem. Source: IMEMC

Nour Jamal Shqeir

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November 25, 2020: Nour Jamal Shqeir, 37, was killed by Israeli soldiers while driving through the Za’im military roadblock, east of occupied Jerusalem. The army claimed the man tried to ram the soldiers with his vehicle.

Shqeir was shot and seriously injured, before he was moved to Hadassah Israeli medical center in Jerusalem, suffering multiple gunshot wounds in the abdomen area, and died from his serious injuries.

After his death, the soldiers summoned his father and brothers for interrogation at the al-Maskobiyya facility in West Jerusalem.

The Israeli army claimed the man attempted to ram the soldiers with his vehicle at the roadblock, an allegation that was vehemently denied by his family.

His brother said Nour works in transportation, and due to the nature of his job, he has to cross through various military roadblocks.

Attorney Mohammad Mahmoud of Wadi Hilweh Information Center in Silwan (Silwanic) said the army is still refusing to transfer Nour’s body back to his family.

He added that the police interrogated Nour’s father, along with his two brothers.

Jamal, the father, told Silwanic that he and his sons headed to Za’im military roadblock after hearing the news about the shooting, and parked his vehicle on the other side of the terminal, after the soldiers refused to allow them to cross.

“I saw videos of the incident, and I could see my son’s vehicle after various videos were posted on social media networks,” he said, “However, we were met by dozens of soldiers, intelligence officers, who ordered us to leave, and that is when I saw my son’s vehicle riddled with bullets, just meters away from the roadblock.”

“Israeli intelligence officers inspected my ID card, and that of my son, Yahia, before they abducted him,” Jamal stated, “I was then ordered to head to al-Maskobiyya for interrogation, and after heading there, they refused to give me any information about Nour.”

The father and his son were separately interrogated for several hours, before they were released.

The army also summoned his other son, Anwar, for interrogation, and released the father and his two sons after hours of questioning.

After the fatal shooting, the soldiers invaded Silwan, and closed the Wadi ar-Rababa neighborhood in Silwan, and closed the entire area.

Silwanic stated that Jalal and Yahia are former political prisoners, who were taken prisoner in the year 2013, and were sentenced to 26 months in prison, in addition to being forced to pay fines after an Israeli court “convicted them of throwing stones at the soldiers and a bus transporting colonialist settler, wounding one of them.”

Their father was taken prisoner later in the same year while visiting his sons in Eshil prison after the soldiers claimed he was trying to smuggle a cell phone sim card into the facility.

He was later released but was denied visits with his detained sons, in addition to being banned from returning to his home, for several months.

Commenting on the fatal shooting, Jerusalem Governor Adnan Gheith, said the soldiers killed Nour in cold blood, as there was no reason to fire these shots.

He added that Israel’s military roadblocks are notorious for such incidents, especially since the soldiers are always fast in resorting to fatal shots without being subject to any physical danger.

On November 4, the soldiers Bilal Adnan Rawajba, 29, while driving his car near the Huwwara checkpoint, in the northern part of the West Bank. Bilal was a married father of an infant girl, only three months of age.

On October 25, the soldiers killed a Palestinian child, identified as Amer Abdul-Rahim Snobar, 16, from Yitma village, south of the northern West Bank city of Nablus.

Snobar was killed when the soldiers repeatedly struck and assaulted him, after they had chased his car and opened fire at it, on the main Ramallah-Nablus road, in the occupied West Bank.

On October 5th, the soldiers killed Samir Hmeidi, 28, from Beit Lid, in Tulkarem, in northern West Bank, when he was crossing a military roadblock.

Nour was from the Wadi ar-Rababa area, in Silwan town, in Jerusalem. Source: IMEMC

Ashraf Hasan Atallah Halasa

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August 17, 2020: Ashraf Hasan Atallah Halasa, 30, was killed by Israeli soldiers near Bad Hotta, one of the gates of the al-Aqsa Mosque, in occupied East Jerusalem, reportedly after he attacked officers, wounding one.

On Monday at night, the soldiers also abducted Tareq and his brother, Atef Sbeitan, near the al-Aqsa Mosque.

The slain Palestinian was shot with at least three live rounds in the chest, one of them struck his heart, and was left on the ground without medical attention for about 90 minutes, while the soldiers “secured the area”, and the Israeli medics tended to the wounded officer.

The soldiers later abducted his mother, and two of his brothers, while crossing the “Container” military roadblock, near as-Sawahra ash-Sharqiya town, and summoned a few of his relatives for interrogation.

Eyewitnesses said the soldiers fired a barrage of live rounds at the young man, inflicting serious wounds, before closing the area, and prevented Palestinian medics from approaching him.

One of the medics, identified as Emad Hijazi, of the Al-Amal Society For Medical Services, said that he and his colleagues were praying at the Al-Aqsa Mosque when they hear several shots nearby and rushed to the scene.

Hijazi added that the Israeli soldiers and police officers assaulted him and his colleagues, before forcibly removing them from the area.

The Palestinian eventually bled to death after being denied the urgently needed medical treatment, while Israeli medics tended to the wounded officer, 19, who sustained a moderate injury.

The wounded officer is a member of the Israeli “Border Police;” Israeli medics transferred him to Shaare Zedek Medical Center, for further treatment.

The intensity of Israeli fire also caused an injury to one Palestinian woman, who was walking nearby with her daughter.

The woman said that after hearing the shots, and after being injured, she looked around trying to find her daughter, but she was nowhere to be found, apparently managed to seek shelter.

The eyewitnesses stated that one of the Palestinian worshipers, who was leaving the Al-Aqsa Mosque, also tried to tend to the wounded Palestinian but the soldiers and officers removed him from the scene and prevented anybody from approaching him.

The soldiers and officers later opened the Chain Gate, also one of the gates of Al-Aqsa, and allowed the Palestinian worshipers to leave through it.

Earlier Monday, Israeli soldiers shot a Palestinian man with special needs at the Qalandia Terminal, north of occupied Jerusalem.

  • First published on Aug 18, 2020, at 00:11

Ashraf was from the as-Sawahra ash-Sharqiya town, southeast of occupied Jerusalem. Source: IMEMC

Eyad al-Hallaq

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May 30, 2020: Eyad al-Hallaq, 32, an unarmed, autistic Palestinian man was shot and killed by Israeli police in Jerusalem. The police then left him lying on the ground with multiple gunshot wounds for over an hour until he bled to death.

Eyad was killed when the soldiers shot him with eight live rounds at the stairs of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, in occupied Jerusalem, while he was walking to the al-Bakriyyah School for persons with special needs.

The police who killed Hallak claimed that they thought he had a suspicious object in his hand. But Israeli police spokesman Mickey Rosenfeld confirmed to reporters that no weapon was found.

Eyewitnesses said Eyad was just walking when the soldiers started shouting at him, and he got scared by their loud voices and tried to run away.

They added that the soldiers could have easily arrested him, without resorting to the lethal and excessive use of live fire.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas stated that the killing of Hallaq was “a real crime”, and that “those who committed it must be brought to justice, and be convicted by the International Criminal Court”. He stated that the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should be held fully responsible for the killing.

Following the Israeli police shooting, protests erupted in the city of Jerusalem. Israeli police closed all the gates leading into Jerusalem’s old city, banning all entry and exit.

The mother of the Palestinian who was shot and killed by Israeli soldiers in occupied Jerusalem, said that the Israeli allegations and justifications for his brutal murder are mere lies, as the slain man was autistic, and was a child in a man’s body.

The mother was walking aimlessly around her home in Wadi al-Jouz in Jerusalem, looking lost, and unable to grasp the news about the death of her only son.

Minutes after the news about his death started spreading, she was informed that he was alive and was only shot in his leg near Bas al-Asbat in Jerusalem, but shortly afterwards it became clear that he was killed by the soldiers.

His father, Khairi al-Hallaq, shocked and in disbelief, was sitting in his home, surrounded by several young men who knew the slain Palestinian and rushed to his home, could not utter many words, except prayers and mumblings that only echoed “he was killed in cold blood, he was murdered…”

His slain autistic son, he said, may have looked like a grown man, but his brain was that of a child, who didn’t interact with anybody, and who only left home to go to the special needs school.

“Why would they kill him in cold blood like this,” he said, “They claim that they thought he carried a weapon! Why didn’t they search him, why did they have to kill him without even making sure he was carrying the claimed weapon”.

He added that his slain son started going to the special needs school around six years ago, and that he goes there every day from the morning until evening, and when he returns home, he just sits alone in his room.

His weeping mother, distraught and unable to catch a normal breath, said, “Why didn’t they just capture him… why not search him… why did they have to rush to fatal shots, to killing him in a cold-blooded manner like this.”

“He was murdered in cold-blood, he carried nothing but his mobile phone and his wallet”, she added, “He carried no weapons, he wanted to go to school because he felt bored at home, but at school he could be more active, and interact with others….”.

“Right now, after they killed him like this, my only wish is that we can have the burial ceremonies at the Al-Aqsa Mosque, before he is buried in the soil of Jerusalem,” she added, “He was an innocent person, he hated nobody, and what they did to him is a crime not only against him, but also against every person with special needs. They killed my only son, who was a child in a man’s body. They killed my only son, they killed my only son…”

Attorney Eyad al-Qadamani, who is representing the family, said that the Israeli police is investigating the fatal shooting, and so far, the police is not admitting he was killed by mistake, and are unwilling to transfer his corpse back to his family for burial.

The lawyer added that the Israeli police imposed a gag order, forbidding the release of the names of the officers involved in his death, or even any information about the units they belong to.

The imposed gag order will remain in effect until June 3rd and could possibly be extended for a longer period.

Israeli media outlets said the slain young man did not carry any weapon, and that he was shot just because “he failed to stop when was ordered to.”

The police claimed that they noticed he carried a “suspicious object”, and that they though it was a gun, and added that he was ordered to stop, but he started running and a chase ensued.

Israeli daily Haaretz said the Palestinian was unarmed, and that the officer who shot him said “he suspected al-Hallaq was a terrorist because he was wearing gloves.”

Haaretz quoted a statement by the Israeli police claiming that “two officers noticed the Palestinian carrying a suspicious object that they thought was a gun and ordered him to stop. After the man refused and started fleeing the scene, the officers started chasing him on foot and opened fire, ultimately killing him while he was trying to hide behind a dumpster.”

It added that the police then closed on the Old City, and that the Police Internal Investigations Department will be investigating the incident.

Haaretz also said that the two officers who were involved in chasing him and then the fatal shots, were questioned by the police, before one of them was released “under restrictive conditions”, and the second officer was placed under “house arrest.”

The Israeli media agency also quoted source which was described to be “familiar with the investigation”, the junior officer, who was a recruit armed with M16 automatic rifle, is being suspected of “continuing to shoot despite being ordered by his commander to stop.”

Haaretz added that the officer “continued to shoot because he saw al-Hallaq was still moving”, and that a court in Jerusalem issued a gag order preventing the release of the names of the officers involved in the fatal incident.

The police also raided Hallaq’s home in Wad el-Joz and questioned his family. Khairi Hallaq, the father of the deceased, told reporters “They found nothing”, and noting that police had cursed his daughter when she became upset at them.

Rana Hallaq, the mother of the deceased, told Israeli Channel 12 that her son “was killed in cold blood”. On social media, many drew comparisons between the shooting and the ongoing police violence in the U.S.

According to Israeli Channel 12 news, members of Israel’s paramilitary border police fired at Halak’s legs and chased him into a dead-end alley.

The Israeli channel reported that a senior officer ordered a halt in fire as they entered the alley, but that a second officer did not listen and fired six or seven bullets from an M-16 rifle. They claimed that both officers were taken into custody and then released.

Eyad was from Wad al-Joz in East Jerusalem. Source: IMEMC

Maher Ibrahim Zaatra

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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.

|Update: April 07, 2023: Maher Zaatra: Israeli police caught lying about a Palestinian they gunned down (VIDEO)|

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

Shadi Bana

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February 6, 2020: Shadi Bana, 45, a Palestinian citizen of Israel who ran a flower shop in Jerusalem, was shot and killed by Israeli border police in Jerusalem on Thursday. Israeli authorities claimed that the florist was shot because he “had a gun and attempted to fire at police”.

Bana’s family was shocked by his killing, and the claim that he had been involved in any kind of politically-motivated attack, saying he had no ties to any political parties or groups.

A neighbor who worked near Bana’s home told reporters from the Israeli daily Ha’aretz, “He was an ordinary guy from the neighborhood. He has no interest in politics. It’s really surprising that he came to do such a thing.”

Bana was shot and killed just outside the Lion’s Gate into Jerusalem’s Old City. He was originally from Haifa, in northern Israel. Israeli sources note that he had a criminal record.

He was the owner of a small flower shop, but his brother told reporters that he was suffering economically.

Israeli sources claimed that Bana had converted to Islam several months ago, but his brother told Ha’aretz reporters, “We don’t know about this whole business of him converting to Islam. He has more than a few Muslim friends but I don’t know if he converted – his entire conduct is strange and he mostly lived as a loner.”

Bana was the fourth Palestinian killed on Thursday. Tariq Lu’ay Badwan and Yazan Monther Abu Tabeekh were both killed by Israeli forces invading the city of Jenin, while Mohammad Salman al-Haddad was killed in Hebron.

Shadi was from Nazareth, in northern Israel. Source: IMEMC

Nassim Abu Roumi

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August 15, 2019: Nassim Abu Roumi, 14, was shot and killed by Israeli police near the al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem after an alleged stabbing of an Israeli police officer that resulted in a light injury.

Nassim was one of the two Palestinian teens, both 14 years old, who were shot and seriously injured near al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem Thursday.

Nassim died of his wounds later that night. The other child who was shot Thursday evening, Hammouda Khader Sheikh, 14, from al-Walaja, south of Jerusalem, is believed to still be in critical condition in an Israeli hospital. Some Palestinian media sources have reported that Hammouda also died of his wounds, but that was not confirmed by IMEMC reporters.

The army and the police fired many live rounds at the two teens, and several Palestinians in the area, moderately wounding two bystanders.

It is worth that Nassim is the son of Mokafih Abu Roumi, a political leader of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP), in Jerusalem.

Israeli soldiers stormed his father’s home, and abducted him shortly after the reported stabbing incident. The Israeli army also summoned the Abu Roumi and Sheikh families for interrogation in a security center between al-Ezariyya and East Jerusalem.

A number of Palestinians were reportedly injured by live ammunition, including a guard for the Al Aqsa Mosque, when Israeli forces opened fire on people in and around the mosque following the alleged stabbing of an Israeli police officer by two unknown assailants.

The Israeli police officer who was injured is reported to be 40 years old, and was taken to the hospital with light injuries. According to the Israeli Ynetnews, he was taken to the Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem.

The paper quoted an Israeli medic, Moshe Cordova, as saying, “When we reached the scene, we saw a man who was fully conscious. He had stabbing wounds. We gave him emergency care that included stopping the bleeding and bandaging, and evacuated him to a hospital with light wounds”.

The Al Aqsa Mosque was closed by Israeli troops, who fired live ammunition at worshipers attempting to evacuate the area, according to the Palestinian Wafa News Agency.

This incident follows a recent invasion of the Al Aqsa Mosque by hundreds of right-wing Israeli settlers this past Sunday, accompanied by Israeli soldiers, who forced their way into the mosque on one of the most significant holidays in the Muslim calendar, when tens of thousands of people had gathered to pray at the mosque.

During the scuffles that ensued, 61 Palestinians and 4 Israeli police were reportedly injured, according to the Israeli paper Ha’aretz.

Nassim was from the al-‘Ezariyya town, east of occupied East Jerusalem. Source: IMEMC