JERUSALEM: Israeli forces shoot dead a Palestinian teenager in the occupied area the West Bank After a group of young men smashed a hole through the Israeli barrier and started throwing objects at the police.
The shooting happened in Azariyah, a village just outside Jerusalem, and marked the latest violence of the year to become the bloodiest in the West Bank since 2015.
Meanwhile, in the Gaza Strip, thousands of people support the ruling Hamas The militant group filled a football stadium during a protest they said was meant to show solidarity with the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem during the peak Jewish holiday.
Amateur video shared on social media shows a group of masked youths gathering in front of a towering concrete fence and chanting slogans as they try to get through a gate.
“Let’s move forward our celebrity fans,” they chanted. “A hole in the dividing wall, a patrol explodes.”
Israel’s paramilitary border police said forces shot a protester who tried to throw firebombs at them when they arrived to break up a demonstration. It said protesters threw rocks and explosives at them. The Palestinian Health Ministry identified the young man killed as 18-year-old Fayez Damdoum.
Israeli built the fence about 20 years ago in what is said to be a security measure to prevent attackers from entering Israel. But the fence regularly runs deep into the West Coast, cutting off nearly 10% of its territory.
The Palestinians see the structure as an illegal land grab and a symbol of Israel’s 55-year military occupation of the territory.
Israel captured the West Bank and East Jerusalem during the 1967 Middle East war. About 700,000 Israeli settlers now live in two areas where Palestinians demand a future state.
Saturday’s murder comes at a time of heightened tensions. Israel has launched increased military operations in the West Bank, mainly in the northern cities of Jenin and Nablus, following a series of deadly Palestinian attacks inside Israel last spring.
In Gaza, thousands attended Saturday’s protest, called “Al Aqsa is in Danger.” Leaders of Hamas, including its top official in Gaza, Yehiyeh Sinwar, stood on stage and addressed the crowd.
Hamas had previously threatened violence in response to what it said were “violations” against Jerusalem and the Al-Aqsa Mosque during the Jewish New Year holiday.
Tens of thousands of Jews visit the city on holiday, including large numbers who visit the disputed hilltop complex that houses the mosque.
The Jews venerate this site as the Temple Mount, where the Bible is kept Jewish Temple, and considers it the holiest site in Judaism. The site is the emotional epicenter of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and competing claims often turn violent.
By arrangement long ago, Jews were allowed to visit, but not pray at the site. However, in recent years visitor numbers have increased, with some praying under police protection.
These scenes have raised concerns among Palestinians that Israel is plotting to divide or take over the site – a claim Israel denies.
Rawhi Mushtaha, a member of Hamas’ political office, said Israeli activities were endangering the mosque, the third holiest site in Islam.
“The occupation activities in Al-Aqsa, the West Bank and Palestine herald a major outbreak in Al-Aqsa,” he said.
The shooting happened in Azariyah, a village just outside Jerusalem, and marked the latest violence of the year to become the bloodiest in the West Bank since 2015.
Meanwhile, in the Gaza Strip, thousands of people support the ruling Hamas The militant group filled a football stadium during a protest they said was meant to show solidarity with the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem during the peak Jewish holiday.
Amateur video shared on social media shows a group of masked youths gathering in front of a towering concrete fence and chanting slogans as they try to get through a gate.
“Let’s move forward our celebrity fans,” they chanted. “A hole in the dividing wall, a patrol explodes.”
Israel’s paramilitary border police said forces shot a protester who tried to throw firebombs at them when they arrived to break up a demonstration. It said protesters threw rocks and explosives at them. The Palestinian Health Ministry identified the young man killed as 18-year-old Fayez Damdoum.
Israeli built the fence about 20 years ago in what is said to be a security measure to prevent attackers from entering Israel. But the fence regularly runs deep into the West Coast, cutting off nearly 10% of its territory.
The Palestinians see the structure as an illegal land grab and a symbol of Israel’s 55-year military occupation of the territory.
Israel captured the West Bank and East Jerusalem during the 1967 Middle East war. About 700,000 Israeli settlers now live in two areas where Palestinians demand a future state.
Saturday’s murder comes at a time of heightened tensions. Israel has launched increased military operations in the West Bank, mainly in the northern cities of Jenin and Nablus, following a series of deadly Palestinian attacks inside Israel last spring.
In Gaza, thousands attended Saturday’s protest, called “Al Aqsa is in Danger.” Leaders of Hamas, including its top official in Gaza, Yehiyeh Sinwar, stood on stage and addressed the crowd.
Hamas had previously threatened violence in response to what it said were “violations” against Jerusalem and the Al-Aqsa Mosque during the Jewish New Year holiday.
Tens of thousands of Jews visit the city on holiday, including large numbers who visit the disputed hilltop complex that houses the mosque.
The Jews venerate this site as the Temple Mount, where the Bible is kept Jewish Temple, and considers it the holiest site in Judaism. The site is the emotional epicenter of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and competing claims often turn violent.
By arrangement long ago, Jews were allowed to visit, but not pray at the site. However, in recent years visitor numbers have increased, with some praying under police protection.
These scenes have raised concerns among Palestinians that Israel is plotting to divide or take over the site – a claim Israel denies.
Rawhi Mushtaha, a member of Hamas’ political office, said Israeli activities were endangering the mosque, the third holiest site in Islam.
“The occupation activities in Al-Aqsa, the West Bank and Palestine herald a major outbreak in Al-Aqsa,” he said.
