Israeli forces kill Palestinian man over alleged vehicle-ramming attack

An unnamed Israeli army spokesperson alleged that a Palestinian youth, who has yet to be identified, attempted a car-ramming attack at a junction on the road between the town of Tuqu’, located 12 kilometers southeast of Bethlehem, and Israeli Efrat settlement on Monday.

He then exited the vehicle, purportedly armed with a knife, and attempted to stab Israeli soldiers standing nearby.

The Palestinian man was shot dead by Israeli forces after he departed his vehicle.

Israel's emergency medical service, Magen David Adom, said it evacuated a 20-year-old Israeli soldier to Shaare Zedek hospital in Jerusalem al-Quds for treatment, where doctors described injuries to his right thigh as moderate.

The occupied Palestinian territories have witnessed new tensions ever since Israeli forces introduced restrictions on the entry of Palestinian worshipers into the al-Aqsa Mosque compound in East Jerusalem al-Quds in August 2015.

More than 300 Palestinians have lost their lives at the hands of Israeli forces in the ongoing tensions since the beginning of October 2015.

The Tel Aviv regime has tried to change the demographic makeup of Jerusalem al-Quds over the past decades by constructing settlements, destroying historical sites and expelling the local Palestinian population. Palestinians say the Israeli measures are aimed at paving the way for the Judaization of the city.

The al-Aqsa Mosque compound is a flashpoint Islamic site, which is also holy to Jews. The mosque is Islam’s third holiest site after Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia.

KD