Israeli forces shot a Palestinian boy dead on Friday as he tried entering Jerusalem to pray tarawih at Masjid Al-Aqsa on the 27th night of Ramadan, Palestinian media has reported.
Abdullah Ghaith, 16, from the occupied city of Hebron, was trying to enter Jerusalem to pray at Masjid Al-Aqsa on the 27th night – widely believed to be Laylat al-Qadr, the holiest day of Ramadan.
Palestinian news outlet Ma’an reported that Ghaith was shot in the chest and another man was also shot and remains in a critical situation.
In a separate incident on the same day, an 18-year-old Palestinian was shot dead by Israeli police because he allegedly stabbed two Israelis in Jerusalem.
The Palestinian Authority Ministry of Health later identified him as Yousef Wajih, from the village of Abwein in central West Bank.
Occupying Israeli forces have increased their security checks at the Qalandia checkpoint between Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank, where thousands of Palestinians cross on Fridays for Jumuah prayers, and more so during Ramadan for night prayers.
Palestinians from the occupied West Bank are frequently barred from entering Jerusalem without a permit, which is very hard to obtain.
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The restrictions are less for Palestinian men and women over 50 during Ramadan, offering them a rare chance to pray at Masjid Al-Aqsa, Islam’s third holiest site.
But young Palestinian men and boys are still refused entry, resulting in thousands jumping over the apartheid wall to enter Jerusalem and pray at Masjid Al-Aqsa during Ramadan.
