Palestinian killed after West Bank car ramming as violence rises

A suspected assailant was killed by Israeli soldiers aft a West Bank car ramming Saturday, the service said, successful an escalation that threatens to extremity a comparative lull during the Muslim beatified period of Ramadan truthful far.

The Palestinian's decease came little than 24 hours aft an Arab Israeli allegedly snatched a weapon from a constabulary serviceman astatine Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa mosque compound and fired it earlier being changeable dead.

The service said a "terrorist" had conducted a "ramming onslaught adjacent to the municipality of Beit Ummar" earlier being neutralised, with a spokesperson confirming to AFP the presumed assailant's death.

Magen David Adom medics said the 3 men were taken to hospitals successful Jerusalem with serious, mean and airy wounds.

In a statement, the Palestinian Authority identified the dormant antheral arsenic Mohammed Baradyah, 23.

Early Saturday, constabulary said they changeable dormant 26-year-old aesculapian pupil Mohammed al-Asibi, a nonmigratory of the Bedouin colony of Hura successful confederate Israel.

According to police, Asibi had snatched a weapon from an serviceman and fired it astatine different constabulary officers adjacent to the adjacent Chain Gate, an entree constituent to the Al-Aqsa mosque compound successful the Old City of Israeli-annexed eastbound Jerusalem.

Passers-by reported proceeding gunfire, and an AFP lensman saw scores of constabulary deployed successful the Old City astatine astir 1:00 americium (2200 GMT connected Friday).

Asibi's household has disputed the constabulary relationship of his decease and demanded to spot CCTV footage, Israeli media reported.

Raam, the Israeli parliament's Islamist party, rejected the constabulary relationship of events, noting successful a Facebook station the claims from "witnesses" who said Asibi came to assistance a pistillate who was successful a scuffle with police. It called for an investigation.

'Execution'

The umbrella organisation representing Israel's Arab citizens announced a "general onslaught and time of mourning" connected Sunday pursuing the "execution" of Asibi.

Police, meanwhile, were lasting by their archetypal mentation of events and issued different connection Saturday day saying that the tract of the onslaught was not covered by surveillance cameras.

A video released by constabulary showed what was described arsenic Asibi milling astir the compound alone. Another video showed radical astatine the Chain Gate reacting successful fright, presumably to the dependable of gunshots.

The constabulary besides rejected the conception a pistillate was involved, saying Asibi "arrived alone", with officers suspicious of his beingness astatine the compound aft closing hours.

The shooting occurred hours aft tens of thousands of Palestinians had packed the Al-Aqsa mosque compound for the 2nd Friday prayers of Ramadan, which had passed disconnected peacefully contempt fears of bloodshed during the beatified month.

Israeli constabulary said much than 100,000 faithful had gathered to commune astatine Islam's 3rd holiest site, built connected what Jews telephone the Temple Mount, Judaism's holiest site.

More than 2,000 constabulary officers had been deployed crossed the city.

The Jordanian assemblage which administers the mosque compound enactment the fig of worshippers astatine 250,000.

An upsurge successful unit successful the Israeli-Palestinian struggle since the opening of the twelvemonth has raised fears of bloodshed during Ramadan.

Since the commencement of the year, the struggle has claimed the lives of 88 Palestinians, including militants and civilians, and 1 Arab Israeli.

Fourteen different Israelis, including members of the information forces and civilians, and 1 Ukrainian person been killed implicit the aforesaid period, according to an AFP tally based connected authoritative sources from some sides.