Palestinian man badly hurt in East Jerusalem clash

A Palestinian man was seriously injured during a clash in an East Jerusalem refugee camp on Sunday, police said, without confirming if he was hit by Israeli fire.

A police statement said that during a raid on the Shuafat refugee camp in East Jerusalem to arrest a wanted suspect, “dozens of residents began hurling stones at the force from all directions.”

The officers responded with riot control means and left the camp with the prisoner. The term is used to cover less-than-lethal fire, such as rubber or sponge-tipped bullets and tear gas.

“Later, local people arrived at a checkpoint with an adult man who they claimed had been hit by a sponge round,” the police said.

Israeli public radio backed the Palestinians’ account. “One of the residents was hit by a sponge round and taken for medical treatment,” it said.

The police statement said that the man, aged 55, was taken to a Jerusalem hospital where he was in serious condition.

“The circumstances are still being checked and investigated,” the police said.