Israeli police secure the scene of a stabbing attack in Jerusalem, Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2015 (Photo: AP)
Israeli police shot dead a Palestinian man at the Damascus Gate in occupied East Jerusalem after he allegedly attacked security forces with a knife, the Palestinian Ma'an news agency reported Wednesday.
According to Ma'an, witnesses said that Basil Bassam Ragheb Sidr, 20, was shot with 14 bullets and "left to bleed on the ground."
The incident is the latest in a wave of attacks between Israeli forces and Palestinians.
Israel started establishing checkpoints in Palestinian areas of occupied East Jerusalem on Wednesday amid continuous Palestinian protests.
Palestinians in Bethlehem, Beit Gala, Beit Sahour and other villages in the occupied West Bank declared a general strike on Wednesday in mourning for 27-year-old Motaz Zwahra, a Palestinian man killed by Israeli soldiers on Tuesday when they opened fire on a protest.
Palestinians have been protesting for weeks against Israel's attempts to build more settlements in East Jerusalem and force Arab residents out of a city that is meant to be the capital of any future Palestinian state.
The protestors are also demonstrating against repeated attacks by Israeli forces and illegal Jewish settlers on the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and the holy site being closed to worshippers on numerous occasions.
The crisis started in late July when 18-month-old toddler Ali Saad Dawabsha was burned to death and three other Palestinians were severely injured after their house in the occupied West Bank was set on fire by Israeli settlers.
The settlers smashed the windows of two homes in the village of Duma near Nablus and threw Molotov cocktails inside the buildings. Dawabsha died after sustaining serious burns.
The parents of the toddler, Riham and Saad, and their other son Ahmad lost their lives after suffering serious injuries as a result of the attack
The deputy Secretary-General of the Arab League Ahmed Bin Hali stated that the international protection of Palestinians has become an inevitable necessity, Sky News Arabia reported on Tuesday.
Short link: