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Photos:
Scene. Published by Maan News
Scene: (Credit: Israeli police) Published by Maan News
Fahmi Juwilis. Published by Maan News
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JERUSALEM (Ma'an) -- Israeli forces shot and killed a Palestinian after he carried out a stabbing attack that one Israeli officer and one Israeli civilian minor lightly injured in the Old City of occupied East Jerusalem early on Wednesday afternoon.

According to Israeli police spokeswoman Luba al-Samri, a suspect approached a group of Israeli police forces deployed near the Austrian Hospice hospital in the Old City, took out a screwdriver and stabbed one of the officers in the head, lightly injuring him.

Israeli forces shot the alleged attacker, "neutralizing" him, al-Samri said, later adding that the youth, whom she identified as a 21-year-old resident of the occupied West Bank village of Beit Surik in the Jerusalem district, had been taken to the Hadassah hospital in "critical condition."

Israeli forces regularly use the term "neutralize" to indicate that a Palestinian has either been killed or wounded by Israeli forces.

A spokesperson for Hadassah hospital told Ma'an that the Palestinian succumbed to gunshot wounds at around 2:30 p.m. in the hospital.

She added that a 14-year-old had also been admitted with light wounds in connection with the incident. However, it was not clear from Israeli reports if the youth's injuries were sustained directly from the suspect.

Witnesses said that the Palestinian was left on the ground bleeding for 20 minutes, adding that a Palestinian doctor arrived on the scene but was pushed away by Israeli forces before they finally let him administer first aid to the wounded Palestinian until Israeli ambulances arrived at the scene.

A video shared by al-Quds news agency showed the doctor being initially pushed away by Israeli forces.

Israeli forces also closed roads leading to al-Wadi Street, where the deadly altercation took place, and heavily deployed near Damascus Gate and Lions Gate, preventing people from coming in or out.

They also detained three youths on Sultan Suleiman Street just north of the Old City after firing shots in the air to disperse people gathered in the area.

According to Ma'an documentation, the youth is the latest of 243 Palestinians to have been killed by Israelis in a wave of unrest across the occupied Palestinian territory which began in October 2015, 20 of whom were killed in the Old City of Jerusalem.

Meanwhile, 34 Israelis were killed by Palestinians during the same time period.

Throughout the unrest, rights groups have repeatedly denounced what they have termed Israeli forces' "shoot-to-kill" policy against Palestinians who did not constitute a threat at the time of their death or who could have been subdued in a non-lethal manner.

While Israel alleges many of those were attempting to attack Israelis when they were shot, Palestinians and rights groups have disputed Israel's version of events in a number of cases.

Al-Samri shared a photograph of the screwdriver reportedly used by the Palestinian to carry out the stabbing attack. The picture did not show visible traces of blood on the alleged weapon.

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Palestinian boy wounded after Jerusalem stabbing was hit by stray Israeli bullet

JERUSALEM (Ma’an) -- A 13-year-old Palestinian boy who was injured on Wednesday in the Old City of occupied East Jerusalem was wounded by Israeli forces when they shot and killed a Palestinian carrying out a stabbing attack, the child’s father said.

Iyad Juwilis said his two sons Fahmi and Nour were leaving school in the Old City when Israeli forces shot a 21-year-old Palestinian, identified by locals as Hamad Khader al-Sheikh, who allegedly stabbed and lightly wounded an Israeli police officer with a screwdriver.

The Israeli forces fired heavily in the wake of the stabbing attack, causing a stray bullet to hit Fahmi, who sustained fractures and superficial head wounds, his father said.

Juwilis said that his young son had to undergo surgery to stop the bleeding, and that his condition was now stable.

Meanwhile, al-Sheikh succumbed to gunshot wounds in the hospital.

According to Ma'an documentation, al-Sheikh is one of 243 Palestinians to have been killed by Israelis in a wave of unrest across the occupied Palestinian territory which began in October 2015, 20 of whom were killed in the Old City of Jerusalem.

Meanwhile, 34 Israelis were killed by Palestinians during the same time period.

Throughout the unrest, rights groups have repeatedly denounced what they have termed Israeli forces' "shoot-to-kill" policy against Palestinians who did not constitute a threat at the time of their death or who could have been subdued in a non-lethal manner.

While Israel alleges many of those were attempting to attack Israelis when they were shot, Palestinians and rights groups have disputed Israel's version of events in a number of cases.