Israeli police on Saturday morning opened fire and killed a Palestinian young man, near Bab al-Asbat, the Lions’ Gate, in Jerusalem’s Old City.
The victim was identified as Maher Ibrahim Za’atra, a 33-year-old father of three from the neighborhood of Jabal al-Mukabber, in occupied East Jerusalem.
Witnesses said that Za’atra was shot several times and left on the ground bleeding before Israeli paramedics arrived at the scene.
Palestinian man shot dead by Israeli occupation police in the occupied Jerusalem. pic.twitter.com/H8AFUHbrdF
— Ahmed Shameya (@AhmedShameya) February 22, 2020
Israeli reports immediately claimed that the Palestinian man was shot after he attempted to stab a policeman.
Video clips showed Za’atra lying motionless on the ground outside Bab al-Asbat, one of the gates leading to the Al-Aqsa Mosque. They also showed a large police force at the scene and inside the Old City streets.
"Israeli forces arrest the mother of martyr Maher Zaatra, who was killed today
outside the Old City of East Jerusalem, and also his two [2] brothers, after raiding their family home in Jabal Al-Mukaber, south of East Jerusalem #القدس " https://t.co/sCLpdEz512— Marian Houk (@Marianhouk) February 22, 2020
After a few hours from Za’atra’s death, Israeli forces raided his home and detained his father and two of his brothers, Palestinian news agency WAFA reports.
(Palestine Chronicle, WAFA, Social Media)
