Israeli police have shot and killed a Palestinian man at an entrance to the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, raising fears of further violence.
The man killed on Saturday was 26-year-old Mohammad Khaled al-Osaibi from Houra, a Bedouin Arab village in southern Israel. The incident took place at about midnight near the Chain Gate, an access point to the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Israeli-occupied East Jerusalem, police said.
Palestinian worshippers at the entrance to the site on Saturday said police shot the man at least 10 times, after he tried to prevent them from harassing a woman who was on her way to the holy compound.
The police alleged al-Osaibi tried to take a gun from an officer and fired it in a scuffle.
Israeli paramilitary Border Police close a path leading to the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound after shots were fired in the Old City of Jerusalem during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, Saturday, April 1, 2023
Israeli officers close a path leading to the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound after shots were fired in the Old City of Jerusalem [Mahmoud Illean/AP]
Hours after the incident, the muddy stone alleyway leading to the compound was still stained with blood.
Israeli police have boosted their forces in the area as tens of thousands of Muslim worshippers from Jerusalem and the Israeli-occupied West Bank gather for Ramadan prayers at Al-Aqsa Mosque.
More than 200,000 Palestinians gathered for noon prayers at the compound, which passed peacefully.
