Palestinians Shot, Critically Injured by Zionist Forces near Bethlehem
Palestinian Red Crescent spokeswoman Errab Foqoha said two Palestinians were shot in the chest during clashes in the village of al-Khader, and that they were injured "critically.”
The two were shot when clashes broke out after Zionist forces began raiding the village and firing haphazardly, Ma’an news agency reported.
One of the victims is a middle-aged dentist identified as Hisham Muhammad Atwan Sbeih, who was in his car parked in his front yard near the city’s historical gate when he was shot.
Locals later identified the other victim as Yazan Omar Salah, 16.
Meanwhile, in the southern Gaza Strip city of Khan Yunis, Israeli forces shot and moderately injured a Palestinian man, whose name has not been released in reports.
The occupied Palestinian territories have been the scene of heightened tensions. The latest wave of tensions was triggered by Israel’s imposition in August 2015 of restrictions on the entry of Palestinian worshipers into the al-Aqsa Mosque compound in East al-Quds.
Al-Aqsa Mosque is the third holiest site in Islam after Masjid al-Haram in Mecca and Masjid al-Nabawi in Medina.
The restrictions have enraged Palestinians, who are also angry at increasing violence by Israeli settlers frequently storming the al-Aqsa Mosque.
The Palestinians say the Tel Aviv regime seeks to change the status quo of the compound.
Almost 190 Palestinians, including children and women, have lost their lives at the hands of Israeli forces since the beginning of last October.
According to the United Nation’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Israeli forces have injured at least 933 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank since the start of the current year, and 72 others in the Gaza Strip.
