A 17-year-old Palestinian was shot dead at the Al-Zayyim checkpoint in occupied East Jerusalem after allegedly attempting to stab checkpoint officers just past midnight on Saturday.

Ali Mohammed Ali Said Abu Ghannam began running toward a number of police officers at a checking station “wielding a large knife,” according to statement issued by Israeli police. After being pushed back by an officer, Abu Ghannam ran in the direction of the crossing. Those guarding the checkpoint saw the youth running towards them and shot him, the statement said.

Abu Ghannam was confirmed dead.

Abu Ghannam’s father Muhammad told Ma’an that Israeli intelligence and security forces summoned him to the al-Zayyim checkpoint to identify his son’s body, and then was taken to the Russian Compound police station in West Jerusalem.

Muhammad Abu Ghannam added that after identifying his son’s face, he was prevented from seeing his son’s body and not able to see where or how many times he had been shot.

He said that Israeli intelligence informed him that his son’s body will be delivered to the family on condition that only 20 people attend the funeral, but that he refused these conditions and demanded that his son’s body be delivered to the family without any conditions.

Head of a local committee in the al-Tur village, Mufid Abu Ghannam, said that Israeli forces raided the Abu Ghannam home early Saturday, assaulted residents and pepper sprayed them. He added that Ali’s room was specifically searched and his personal belongings confiscated.

National forces declared a state of mourning for the al-Tur village, Abu Ghannam’s hometown.

Saturday’s events are the latest in a string of “stabbing attacks” taking place in occupied East Jerusalem and West Bank.

A Palestinian was shot dead by Israeli forces on April 10 after stabbing two Israeli soldiers at the Sinjil junction near the Shilo settlement, north of Ramallah, less than a week after an Israeli soldier was stabbed near the Oranit checkpoint in southern Qalqiliya.

In the same time period, Israeli forces have shot and killed three Palestinians since the start of the month and injured over 120 more, the majority during attacks on protests as well as during raids, according to the United Nations.

The figure does not include attacks by Israeli settlers.

(Ma’an – www.maannews.net)