Two Palestinian youths perish at Israeli hands

Israeli forces have assaulted a Palestinian refugee camp north of al-Quds (Jerusalem), triggering clashes that have claimed the lives of two young Palestinians.

On Friday, scores of troops swooped on the Shu'fat camp, blocking all of its entries and thus prompting confrontation with the Palestinians, the Palestinian Safa news website reported.

The victim, identified as Ahmad Jamal Salah, suffered injuries during the raid, which led to his death on Saturday.

Three other Palestinian youths sustained injuries in the clashes; one of them was detained by Israeli forces while suffering from severe hemorrhage. However, reports say he later succumbed to his wounds.

The fatality brought to 10 the number of the Palestinians killed by Israeli live fire in the Palestinian territories over the last two days.

At least six Palestinians lost their lives after Israeli forces opened fire on a group of protesters in the eastern part of the Tel Aviv-blockaded Gaza Strip on Friday. Two more Palestinians, one identified as Jihad Zayed al-Abid from Deir al-Balah city in central Gaza, died Saturday of the injuries they had sustained during the Israeli offensive.

Another Palestinian was also killed in the city of al-Khalil (Hebron) in the south of the occupied West bank.

Israeli forces were, meanwhile, reported to have fired at close range at a Palestinian female in the city of Nazareth in the north of the occupied Palestinian territories, acting on the allegation that she had attacked an Israeli trooper.

Footage circulated on social media shows the 28-year-old Palestinian, a mother of three, who has been identified as Asra Abed, coming under the attack at a bus stop without having initiated any act of violence.

There has been increasing confrontation between Israelis and Palestinians, triggered by Tel Aviv’s imposition on August 26 of sweeping restrictions on entries into the compound of the al-Aqsa Mosque in East al-Quds (Jerusalem) and Israeli settlers’ repeated storming of the mosque, which constitutes Islam' third holiest site.

Inflaming the situation, the Israeli regime moved on Thursday to ban Palestinian men under the age of 50 from attending Friday prayers at the mosque.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein has expressed extreme concern over the escalation of the tensions in the occupied territories, urging an end to the violence. The official has also warned about the rising number of Palestinians injured by live ammunition, rubber bullets and tear gas.

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