200,000 pray at Jerusalem mosque after stabbing attack

More than 200,000 Muslims took part in the final Friday prayers of Ramadan at Al-Aqsa mosque compound in the Old City of annexed east Jerusalem, as Israel heightened security following a Palestinian stabbing attack.

 The religious authorityin charge of the compound, the third holiest site in Islam, said in total260,000 worshippers took part in the lunchtime prayers.

   

The prayers came only hours after a Palestinian teenagerstabbed two Israelis inside the Old City before being shot dead by Israelisecurity.

In a separate incident, another Palestinian teenager wasshot dead by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank as he sought to sneakinto Jerusalem, reportedly to pray at Al-Aqsa.

In Jerusalem itself, a 19-year-old Palestinian stabbed oneIsraeli near the Damascus Gate and another near Jaffa Gate on the other side ofthe walled Old City, police spokesman Mickey Rosenfeld said. One of theIsraelis was in a critical condition and the other suffered serious wounds, hesaid.

“Police units that responded at the scene saw theattacker with a knife. The attacker was shot and killed,” Rosenfeld said.

The Palestinian health ministry later named him asYusefWajih from Abwein village in the central West Bank. A video released bypolice showed a man running through the streets and stabbing two Orthodox Jews.

The Old City has been the scene of numerous stabbings ofIsraelis by Palestinian assailants in recent years, though a relative calm hasexisted for several months.

After the latest attack, gates to the Old City were brieflysealed before being reopened as thousands thronged towards the mosque.

Inside the mostly uncovered mosque compound, water wassprayed on worshippers to keep them cool in the baking Jerusalem sun, withtemperatures approaching 40 degrees.Despite a heavy police presence, there were noreports of further incidents. Rosenfeld said increased security presence would”continue throughout the afternoon and evening.”

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