Israeli police have shot and killed an unarmed Palestinian near the Old City in occupied East Jerusalem.
The incident, which was reported on Saturday May 30, 2020, has drawn the ire of both international and local human rights groups.
The groups have expressed their displeasure, condemning the use of excessive force by the Israeli security forces against the Palestinians.
The slain man, 32-year-old Iyad el-Hallak, attended and worked at a school for people with special needs in the Old City, close to the spot where he was shot on Saturday morning, according to Palestinian news agency Wafa.
A relative said el-Hallak was mentally disabled and was heading to the school.
Israeli police spokesman, Micky Rosenfeld, said, “The officers spotted a suspect with a suspicious object that looked like a pistol. They called upon him to stop and began to chase after him on foot, during the chase, officers also opened fire at the suspect.”
Israeli police have also sealed off the Old City and barred medics from entering the area.
el-Hallak’s home in the neighbourhood of Wadi Joz, were raided and members of his family were questioned.
Israeli daily Haaretz said el-Hallak’s family members denied claims that he was carrying a gun, and quoted them as saying “he wasn’t capable of harming anyone”.
They said el-Hallak’s body was transferred to the Abu Kabir Forensic Institute in Tel Aviv, which holds bodies of Palestinians killed in alleged attacks on Israelis, adding that the authorities have not provided them with further details.
The institute is notoriously known as the place where Palestinian organs and body parts have been harvested.
The shooting came a day after Israeli soldiers killed a Palestinian near the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah who they alleged had tried to ram them with his vehicle. No Israelis were wounded in either incident.
