A Palestinian teenager who was shot Friday during street clashes in East Jerusalem died of his wounds early Saturday, raising tensions ahead of planned Palestinian protests marking the anniversary of the founding of Israel.
Milad Ayyash, 17, was shot in the stomach during stone-throwing confrontations in the neighborhood of Silwan between local youths and Israeli police and security guards posted at buildings housing Jewish settlers, according to witnesses. Police said they were investigating the source of the gunfire.
The youth’s funeral sparked further clashes on Saturday, and two Palestinians were reported wounded by rubber-coated bullets fired by police.
Israeli security forces are on alert for demonstrations in Palestinian areas on Sunday, the anniversary of Israel’s declaration of independence in 1948. The anniversary is marked by Palestinians as the “nakba,” or catastrophe, when hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were displaced in the war that followed Israel’s creation.
