Israeli forces fracture Palestinian teen’s skull with rubber bullet: medics

Israeli forces fractured the skull of a thirteen-year-old boy with a rubber-coated steel bullet in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of al-Issawiya overnight Saturday, medics at al-Maqasid hospital told Ma'an.

Witnesses at the scene said clashes broke out after Israeli forces stormed the neighborhood during an arrest raid, in which they initially arrested two young men.

During the clashes, five more Palestinians were arrested, including two teenagers.

Israeli forces fired gunshots and stun grenades “haphazardly” at demonstrators protesting the Israeli forces' presence in the neighborhood, witnesses said.

An Israeli police spokesperson did not immediately respond for comment however, spokesperson Micky Rosenfeld tweeted on Saturday evening: "Police units continue patrolling neighborhoods in Jerusalem to prevent incidents. In Isawiah (sic) stones thrown at officers, 7 suspects arrested."

Clashes with Israeli forces in the neighborhood have been ongoing for the second week, as tensions in East Jerusalem heighten due to increased violence and restrictions at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound.

On Saturday 11 Palestinians were detained and several more were injured by Israeli forces in clashes throughout the day and night in the East Jerusalem neighborhoods of Jabal al-Mukabbir, Issawiya, Shufat Refugee Camp, al-Tur, Silwan, Abu Dis, al-Izariya, al-Suwwana and Wadi al-Joz.

Palestinians fear that Israel is seeking to change rules governing the al-Aqsa Mosque compound, with far-right Jewish groups pushing for more access to the compound, and extreme fringe organizations have called for the construction of a Jewish temple at the site.

The compound, along with the rest of East Jerusalem, has been under Israeli military occupation since 1967, and the international community has condemned Israeli policies preventing Palestinian expansion in the area.

"Israel is playing with fire," senior PLO official Hanan Ashrawi said Monday, warning that Israeli authorities were forcibly securing control over al-Aqsa "in preparation for the total annexation and transformation of Al-Haram Al-Sharif."