Israel police say soldiers shoot Palestinian in Jerusalem’s Old City

Israeli soldiers stand guard in front of the Damascus Gate after a Palestinian man was seriously wounded in a shooting incident in annexed east Jerusalem’s Old City during “a quarrel” between off-duty soldiers and Palestinians, on Jun. 12, 2024. (AFP)

• A police statement said an “argument led to a quarrel” between four armed Israelis and “a number of locals” on an Old City street
• “At a certain stage,” police said the armed Israelis “carried out a shooting that, according to the suspicions, in part hit at least one” Palestinian

JERUSALEM: Israeli police said a Palestinian man was seriously wounded Wednesday in a shooting incident in annexed east Jerusalem’s Old City during “a quarrel” between off-duty soldiers and Palestinians.
A police statement said an “argument led to a quarrel” between four armed Israelis and “a number of locals” on an Old City street. It was unclear what had triggered the confrontation.
“At a certain stage,” police said the armed Israelis “carried out a shooting that, according to the suspicions, in part hit at least one” Palestinian.
He was “in serious condition” while three others suffered mild injuries, the force said citing medics.
The armed men included three Israeli soldiers, two of them reservists, and a civilian, it said, adding that none of them were in uniform or on duty.
“According to one of the soldiers who opened fire, during the events he felt threatened, and this claim will be examined in the investigation,” the police said, adding they do not suspect a “terror attack” against the Israeli group.
Video footage circulating on social media, which AFP was unable to independently verify, showed four armed men in the middle of a busy market street as a wounded man lies on the ground next to a patch of blood.
The wounded man is seen holding his right arm where he was hit, as others, speaking Hebrew with an Arabic accent, try to calm the situation.
The historic Old City houses holy sites revered by Jews, Muslims and Christians. It is a frequent site of tensions and violence at the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Israel captured east Jerusalem in the 1967 Arab-Israeli conflict and later annexed it in a move not recognized by the international community.