Ramallah, July 1 (Petra) – A Palestinian man was killed by Israeli
occupation police in Lidd (occupied in 1948) on Wednesday, while
Israeli forces detained at least 20 Palestinians across the West
Bank, including Jerusalem.

Israeli police identified the man as Sami Ahmad Jaasous, who was in
his 20s, and claimed he had attempted to stab an officer earlier
Wednesday.

The Palestinian Prisoners Society said those detained included five
women and journalist Hassan Abdel Jawad from Bethlehem.

The Society said Israeli forces have intensified arrests and field
interrogations since the genocide in Gaza, targeting various segments
of Palestinian society as part of a policy of collective punishment
and retaliation. It added that more than 24,000 arrests have been
recorded across the West Bank since the aggression on Gaza began on
October 7, 2023.

In another development, the Islamic Endowments Department in
Jerusalem said dozens of settlers entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound
through the Al-Magharebah Gate, toured its courtyards, and performed
provocative Talmudic rituals under heavy Israeli police protection.

The department said police closed the compound’s external gates to
facilitate the incursions.

In a related development, settlers established a new settlement
outpost near the Bedouin community of Al-Muhtoush, adjacent to Khan
Al-Ahmar, east of occupied Jerusalem.

The Jerusalem Governorate said settlers installed greenhouses and
agricultural structures about 100 meters from residents’ homes, days
after extending a water line through the community. It said the move
was intended to restrict Bedouin residents, limit access to grazing
land, and establish new settlement facts on the ground.

Khan Al-Ahmar lies about 16 kilometers along the Jerusalem-Jericho
road and occupies a strategically important location linking the
northern and southern West Bank.

//Petra// AO