Palestinian shot, 'critically wounded' by Israel, police claim he stabbed two in Jerusalem

Palestinian shot, 'critically wounded' by Israel, police claim he stabbed two in Jerusalem
Israeli police have claimed the man, who was critically injured according to emergency responders, stabbed and injured two people in a Jerusalem cosmetics shop.
2 min read
13 September, 2021
The Palestinian man is said to have been critically injured [AHMAD GHARABLI/AFP/Getty]

A Palestinian has been shot and wounded by police, Israeli officials said, claiming he stabbed and injured two people in a Jerusalem cosmetics shop on Monday amid heightened tensions since a daring prison escape by six Palestinian prisoners a week ago.

The military alleged this incident came hours after a Palestinian used a screwdriver to try to stab an Israeli soldier in the West Bank, adding that troops shot the man, who was taken to hospital for treatment.

Israel illegally occupies Palestine's West Bank and East Jerusalem under international law. It is not clear which party of the holy city this incident allegedly occurred in.

Tensions have been stirred by last Monday's breakout by six Palestinian men from the maximum-security Gilboa Prison in northern Israel. Four of the men have since been recaptured.

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The escape was a serious embarrassment for Israel and has been met with a harsh security response, including lockdown measures in the West Bank.

In Palestine, where those held in Israeli prisons are viewed as heroes in the battle against the illegal occupation, the prison break has been widely celebrated.

Israeli officials claimed a Palestinian entered the cosmetics store near Jerusalem's central bus station and stabbed two people. Israel's Magen David Adom ambulance service said they suffered moderate wounds.

A policewoman then shot the alleged attacker, witnesses and police said. Israel's Zaka emergency service said he was critically wounded and taken to hospital.

"No doubt there is an escalation that we are facing and we are deployed in force in the field for any scenario," Jerusalem District Police Commander Doron Turgeman told reporters at the scene.

This comes as Israeli aircraft struck multiple locations in the Gaza Strip early on Monday as Tel Aviv continues to bomb the besieged Palestinian enclave.

It was the third consecutive night of escalation in the Strip, with Israel having bombed Gaza repeatedly, claiming this was in response to rockets having been launched from the Strip.

The Israeli military attacked attacked a number of locations in Gaza, which it alleged were targets belonging to the enclave's rulers, Hamas. Tel Aviv reported three separate rocket launches late on Sunday and early on Monday, saying at least two of them were intercepted by its rocket defences. It claimed its airstrikes were in response to these. There were no reports of casualties on either side.

(Reuters)