Israeli police kill former Palestinian prisoner

A special Israeli police force Thursday killed a former Palestinian prisoner in al-Thawri neighbourhood in east Jerusalem, Israeli Radio and Palestinian eyewitnesses said.

The witnesses in the neighbourhood said that a special Israeli police force, disguised as civilians, stormed the neighbourhood at pre-dawn, climbed the roofs of several buildings and besieged the house of Mo'taz Hijazi.

The witnesses said that the police and Hijazi exchanged fire, adding that Hijazi was seriously injured and died later, according to Xinhua.

Meanwhile, Israeli Radio quoted the police as saying that an Israeli police force stormed the house of an east Jerusalem resident suspected of an attempt to kill an Israeli right-wing rabbi named Glek Lilla in Jerusalem.

The report said when the police force arrived to arrest Hijazi, he began to fire at them, adding the police forces fired back and killed him.

Hani Gheith, head of a sports club in al-Thawri neighbourhood, told reporters that the police besieged the house of Hijazi and did not storm it until its personnel made sure that he was injured.

Mo'taz Hijazi, 32, spent 12 years in Israeli prisons after being charged with carrying out activities against Israel and attacking an Israeli guard during his stay in the prison.