Arab cities in Israel to go on general strike Sunday after doctor’s death at Al-Aqsa

By Zein Khalil and Safiye Karabacak

JERUSALEM (AA) - A one-day general strike in Arab cities across Israel will be observed Sunday in protest of the murder of Dr. Mohammad al-Osaibi, according to The High Follow Up Committee for Arab Citizens of Israel.

The Committee said in a statement after an emergency meeting that the strike will include all municipalities and educational facilities in Arab cities and towns.

A decision was also made to establish a special investigation committee regarding the killing of al-Osaibi.

The Committee encouraged a massive turnout to the funeral for the 26-year-old doctor in Houra in protest of all occupation policies, oppression and racial discrimination.

Al-Osaibi, from Houra, a Bedouin Arab village in southern Israel, was killed by Israeli police at the entrance to the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem early Saturday.

Israeli police said he attempted to snatch an officer’s gun after he was stopped for questioning, prompting forces to shoot.

Following the incident, Israeli forces shut the gates to worshippers of the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex.

But al-Osaibi’s family denied the police’s version of events.

"The police are lying,” the family said in a statement. “They fired more than 20 bullets at him when he had nothing in his possession.”

The family said al-Osaibi was shot when he intervened to help a Palestinian girl.

Witnesses said Israeli police officers detained a girl as she was on her way to the flashpoint site, triggering clashes with a group of Palestinians, including al-Osaibi.

“The police shot al-Osaibi from a short distance, without justification,” a witness said in statements cited by the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper.

Tensions have been running high across the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, in recent months amid repeated Israeli raids into Palestinian towns.

More than 90 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire since the start of 2023 according to Palestinian figures. Fourteen Israelis have also been killed in separate attacks during the same period.

For Muslims, Al-Aqsa represents the world's third-holiest site. Jews call the area the Temple Mount, saying it was the site of two Jewish temples in ancient times.

Israel occupied East Jerusalem, where Al-Aqsa is located, during the 1967 Arab-Israeli War. It annexed the entire city in 1980, in a move never recognized by the international community.