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Photo:
Illustrative. Israeli police special forces patrol a street in Jabel Mukaber, a Palestinian neighbourhood of East Jerusalem on September 18, 2015 (AFP/File Thomas Coex) Published by Maan News
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JERUSALEM (Ma'an) -- Israeli forces on Monday evening shot a Palestinian activist in the leg with a rubber-coated steel bullet during a raid in the occupied East Jerusalem neighborhood of al-Issawiya while he was attempting to take photos and video footage in the neighborhood, according to a local committee.

Members of a local follow-up committee in al-Issawiya told Ma'an that committee member Muhammad Abu al-Hummus was “documenting Israeli violations and provocations" when an Israeli soldier "threatened to shoot him in the head if he didn’t leave."

Shortly after the threat was made against him, another soldier then shot a rubber-coated steel bullet at Abu al-Hummus from an approximate distance of 25 meters, hitting him in the leg.

Prior to the shooting, Israeli forces and police officers had stormed the town and deployed in its alleys "in a provocative manner," started stopping drivers, and arbitrarily issued a number of locals traffic fines, according to the committee.

After being informed of the forces' arrival into the town, Abu al-Hummus began taking photos and writing notes about their activities.

An Israeli police spokesperson was not immediately available for comment.

Israeli police and soldiers have come under heavy criticism over the past year for what rights groups have referred to as excessive use of force against Palestinians, including journalists and activists, who did not pose an immediate threat at the time they were injured.