JERUSALEM (AA) - Two Palestinian men were shot dead in Israeli-occupied East Jerusalem on Friday, 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 neighborhood 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, told Anadolu Agency 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.
Dozens of Palestinians were injured Friday 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.