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