Israeli police kill Palestinian after alleged car-ramming in occupied East Jerusalem

Israeli forces shot and killed a Palestinian driver amid an attempted car ramming in occupied East Jerusalem.

2 min read

17 May, 2021

A Palestinian was killed in his car [Getty]

Israeli forces on Sunday shot dead a Palestinian man after a suspected car-ramming attack in occupied East Jerusalem.

The driver, who is a Jerusalem resident, was shot by officers after he allegedly drove into Israeli officers near a police roadblock at the entrance to the neighbourhood of Sheikh Jarrah.

The officers sustained light injuries, although one was shot after being mistakenly hit by his colleague at the scene, police reported.

Police also hit a Haaretz photographer at the scene, while another group of journalists were targeted with a stun grenade.

Jerusalem police district chief, Doron Turgeman, who was also present at the scene, removed the officer who hit the photographer and said he will conduct an investigation.

Meanwhile, a Palestinian man was arrested on Monday after driving his vehicle into an Israeli military checkpoint.

The Israeli military said the alleged car-ramming took place at a checkpoint near Nablus, in the north of the occupied West Bank.

There were no injuries, the military said.

Sheikh Jarrah has been the scene of violence by police and Israeli settlers in recent weeks as several Palestinian families fight plans to expel them from their homes.

It had led to protests with Israeli police attacking activists in Sheikh Jarrah and worshippers at Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Read more: Fighting Israel's erasure of Palestinian identity in Jerusalem

Hamas launched rockets at Israel last Monday after hundreds of worshippers were injured by Israeli security forces at Al-Aqsa.

Israel, which boasts an effective Iron Dome air-defence system to protect itself from rocket attacks, has responded with deadly airstrikes.

The turmoil has also spilled over elsewhere, fuelling protests in the occupied West Bank and stoking violence within Israel between its Jewish and Palestinian citizens, with clashes and vigilante attacks on people and property.

At least 200 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli airstrikes on Gaza since last Monday, including 59 children and 35 women, while more than 1,300 have been injured.

In the occupied West Bank, 21 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and 4,363 have been wounded, after demonstrations broke out in response to the bombing of besieged Gaza, according to the Palestinian health ministry.