Palestinian Wounded on Temple Mount by Israeli Police Succumbs to Wounds

A 21-year-old Palestinian man who was injured during clashes between police and worshippers on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem last month, succumbed to his wounds on Saturday, his family announced.

According to Palestinian sources Walid a-Sharif, an East Jerusalem resident, was severely wounded by a sponge-tipped bullet. He was taken to Jerusalem's Hadassah University Hospital, Ein Karem. Police, however, said he had fallen and sustained a head injury during the skirmishes.

• For Israeli and Palestinian Extremists, Jerusalem's Holiest Site Is Just an Excuse
• Keep Violent Israeli Police Officers Far From Temple Mount
• Fire on Temple Mount: What's Behind Recent Jerusalem Clashes? LISTEN

Attorney Mohamed Mahmoud, who represents a-Sharif's family, said the family requested to retrieve a-Sharif's body from the hospital, but were refused by the Police, who want to conduct an autopsy of the body, against the family's wishes. Since a-Sharif wasn't under arrest at the time of his death, the police has no legal standing to keep the body.

On April 22, dozens of Palestinians who arrived for Friday prayers at Al Aqsa Mosque were injured during confrontations with police. Two were in serious condition, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent.

A-Sharif is the first Palestinian to have died as a result of clashes on the Temple Mount since 2017, when two armed assailants were gunned down after opening fire at the entrance to the Temple Mount.