Palestinian killed by Israeli fire near Gaza border

By Mohammed Majed

GAZA CITY, Palestine (AA) – A young Palestinian was killed by Israeli fire in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, according to the Health Ministry.

A ministry statement said a 25-year-old man lost his life east of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, while 11 others were injured, including one seriously.

State news agency Wafa said several Palestinians also suffered temporary asphyxiation from tear gas canisters fired by Israeli forces.

The casualties occurred as hundreds of Palestinians gathered near a border security fence with Israel to protest Israeli settler incursions into the flashpoint Al-Aqsa Mosque complex in occupied East Jerusalem to celebrate the Jewish New Year.

For Muslims, Al-Aqsa represents the world's third-holiest site. Jews call the area the Temple Mount, saying it was the site of two Jewish temples in ancient times.
Israel occupied East Jerusalem, where al-Aqsa is located, during the 1967 Arab-Israeli War. It annexed the entire city in 1980, in a move never recognized by the international community.

*Writing by Ikram Kouachi