(MENAFN- The Peninsula) Jerusalem: Three Palestinian men were shot dead in Israeli-occupied East Jerusalem yesterday, health officials said. The killings came as Palestinians and Israeli security forces clashed after security restrictions were placed on the Al Aqsa Mosque compound.
'A Palestinian was killed in Ras Al Amoud neighbourhood after he was shot in his head by a Jewish settler, the Palestinian Ministry of Health said in a statement.
An eyewitness, who asked not to be named for fear of retribution, said that the gunman 'opened fire on Palestinian protesters in East Jerusalem, which led to the death of one of them.
Makassed Hospital in East Jerusalem identified 20-year-old Mohammad Abu Ghannam as the other victim.
'Another Palestinian who was identified as Mohammad Lafi, 17, was killed after a bullet struck his heart during clashes with Israeli forces in Abu Dies village in eastern Jerusalem, the ministry added.
'He was killed during clashes with Israeli forces at Al-Tour neighborhood, southern Jerusalem, the hospital said.
Dozens of Palestinians were injured yesterday as Israeli police attacked worshippers outside the mosque, which is the third holiest site in Islam. According to the Palestinian Red Crescent Society, two Palestinians were injured by live ammunition and 100 others were wounded by rubber bullets. Other clashes between angry Palestinian youths and Israeli forces broke out in several cities across the West Bank after Friday prayers.
The Red Crescent said 17 were wounded by live gunfire and 50 by rubber bullets. It said 70 others suffered temporary suffocation caused by tear gas.
Protests broke out on Sunday after the mosque's leadership spoke out against the metal detectors, which were installed following a gun attack last week that left three Palestinians and two Israeli police officers dead.
The measures led to a wave of anger among Palestinians, who called for the immediate removal of the detectors. However, Israel has refused to back down, saying the detectors matched security measures at other holy sites around the world. Palestinian worshippers yesterday clashed with Israeli security forces outside a Jerusalem shrine in violence prompted by the installation of metal detectors at its entry point, and at least three Palestinians were killed.
There have been daily confrontations between Palestinians and Israeli police using stun grenades since the detectors were placed outside the sacred venue.
The shrine includes the Al Aqsa Mosque, the third-holiest site in Islam, and the golden Dome of the Rock. It was also the site of an ancient Jewish temple, the holiest place in Judaism.
The Palestinian Health Ministry said Mohammed Sharaf, 17, and Mohammad Hassan Abu Ghannam, age unknown, died of gunshot wounds in two neighbourhoods of East Jerusalem somewhat away from the epicentre of tension in the walled Old City. It reported a third Palestinian fatality, Mohammed Lafi, 18, later. It was not immediately clear who fired the shots.
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