Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Monday, Dec 15, 2025

Dozens injured in Israeli police attack on Palestinian funeral

Dozens injured in Israeli police attack on Palestinian funeral

Walid al-Sharif’s funeral was attacked just days after an Israeli attack on journalist Shireen Abu Akleh’s funeral.

More than 70 Palestinians were injured after Israeli police lobbed tear gas canisters and shot rubber-coated bullets at a funeral procession for a young Palestinian man who had succumbed to injuries sustained at Al-Aqsa Mosque compound last month.

Hundreds of mourners joined the funeral procession on Monday for Walid al-Sharif, who was pronounced dead on Saturday.

Al-Sharif suffered a serious head injury on April 22 after Israeli police fired rubber-coated bullets at Palestinians at Jerusalem’s most sensitive holy site.

Palestinian witnesses and al-Sharif’s family say he was shot in the head with a rubber-coated bullet, while Israeli authorities have suggested he died from injuries sustained when he fell on the ground. Israeli hospital officials declined to give a precise cause of death.

Amateur video of the attack shows a large group of Palestinians running away from the direction of heavy Israeli fire. Immediately after one shot, al-Sharif is seen falling on his face and lying motionless on the ground. Israeli police then took him away.

After falling into a coma, al-Sharif died in hospital. His body was taken by Israeli authorities after his death, until it was released to his family on Monday.

Mourners at the funeral, some of whom were carrying Palestinian flags, took al-Sharif’s body for prayers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque before proceeding to a cemetery outside of Jerusalem’s Old City.


The Palestinian Red Crescent rescue service said 71 Palestinians were wounded from rubber-coated bullets, stun grenades and beatings after Israeli forces attacked the funeral.

“Israeli forces fired rubber-coated bullets at an ambulance carrying the coffin of the dead Palestinian youth,” a witness said.

Al Jazeera reporter Wajd Waqfi, who was covering the funeral, said Israeli police attacked mourners and prevented them from carrying Palestinian flags. She also said dozens were arrested by Israeli police.

Thirteen people required hospitalisation, including two with eye injuries, the Palestinian Red Crescent said.

According to the Wadi Hilweh Information Centre, one of the Palestinians with an injury to the eye is a relative of al-Sharif. The relative, Nader al-Sharif, is reportedly in a critical condition.

Police said six officers were hurt and 20 Palestinians were arrested, including five people suspected of an attempted hit-and-run.

Israeli police said its forces “acted resolutely against hundreds of lawbreakers and violent rioters who … took violent actions against the forces endangering their lives”.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s office accused the Jerusalem police of a “cruel and barbaric act”. It said there will be no peace and stability in the region until the creation of a Palestinian state, with occupied East Jerusalem as its capital.

Jordan’s foreign ministry also condemned the attack on al-Sharif’s funeral procession as an “inhumane act” and said Israel must respect its obligations to international humanitarian law, as the occupying force in East Jerusalem.

Monday’s attack on al-Sharif’s funeral came just days after police pushed and beat mourners, including pallbearers, at the Jerusalem funeral for Shireen Abu Akleh, a renowned Al Jazeera journalist who was killed by Israeli soldiers on Wednesday while reporting on a military raid in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin.

Al-Aqsa Mosque compound has become a frequent site of tensions as an increasing number of Israeli Jews have attempted to upend the status quo by praying there.

Israeli police attacked Palestinians in the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound several times during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which largely fell during April, injuring hundreds of Palestinians.

The silver-domed mosque inside the 35-acre (14-hectare) compound is referred to as al-Haram al-Sharif, or the Noble Sanctuary, by Muslims, and as the Temple Mount by Jews.


Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Saudi Arabia Condemns Sydney Bondi Beach Shooting and Expresses Solidarity with Australia
Washington Watches Beijing–Riyadh Rapprochement as Strategic Balance Shifts
Saudi Arabia Urges Stronger Partnerships and Efficient Aid Delivery at OCHA Donor Support Meeting in Geneva
Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 Drives Measurable Lift in Global Reputation and Influence
Alcohol Policies Vary Widely Across Muslim-Majority Countries, With Many Permitting Consumption Under Specific Rules
Saudi Arabia Clarifies No Formal Ban on Photography at Holy Mosques for Hajj 2026
Libya and Saudi Arabia Sign Strategic MoU to Boost Telecommunications Cooperation
Elon Musk’s xAI Announces Landmark 500-Megawatt AI Data Center in Saudi Arabia
Israel Moves to Safeguard Regional Stability as F-35 Sales Debate Intensifies
Cardi B to Make Historic Saudi Arabia Debut at Soundstorm 2025 Festival
U.S. Democratic Lawmakers Raise National Security and Influence Concerns Over Paramount’s Hostile Bid for Warner Bros. Discovery
Hackers Are Hiding Malware in Open-Source Tools and IDE Extensions
Traveling to USA? Homeland Security moving toward requiring foreign travelers to share social media history
Wall Street Analysts Clash With Riyadh Over Saudi Arabia’s Deficit Outlook
Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Cement $1 Trillion-Plus Deals in High-Profile White House Summit
Saudi Arabia Opens Alcohol Sales to Wealthy Non-Muslim Residents Under New Access Rules
U.S.–Saudi Rethink Deepens — Washington Moves Ahead Without Linking Riyadh to Israel Normalisation
Saudi Arabia and Israel Deprioritise Diplomacy: Normalisation No Longer a Middle-East Priority
Saudi Arabia Positions Itself as the Backbone of the Global AI Era
As Trump Deepens Ties with Saudi Arabia, Push for Israel Normalization Takes a Back Seat
Thai Food Village Debuts at Saudi Feast Food Festival 2025 Under Thai Commerce Minister Suphajee’s Lead
Saudi Arabia Sharpens Its Strategic Vision as Economic Transformation Enters New Phase
Saudi Arabia Projects $44 Billion Budget Shortfall in 2026 as Economy Rebalances
OPEC+ Unveils New Capacity-Based System to Anchor Future Oil Output Levels
Will Saudi Arabia End Up Bankrolling Israel’s Post-Ceasefire Order in Lebanon?
Saudi Arabia’s SAMAI Initiative Surpasses One-Million-Citizen Milestone in National AI Upskilling Drive
Saudi Arabia’s Specialty Coffee Market Set to Surge as Demand Soars and New Exhibition Drops in December
Saudi Arabia Moves to Open Two New Alcohol Stores for Foreigners Under Vision 2030 Reform
Saudi Arabia’s AI Ambitions Gain Momentum — but Water, Talent and Infrastructure Pose Major Hurdles
Tensions Surface in Trump-MBS Talks as Saudi Pushes Back on Israel Normalisation
Saudi Arabia Signals Major Maritime Crack-Down on Houthi Routes in Red Sea
Italy and Saudi Arabia Seal Over 20 Strategic Deals at Business Forum in Riyadh
COP30 Ends Without Fossil Fuel Phase-Out as US, Saudi Arabia and Russia Align in Obstruction Role
Saudi-Portuguese Economic Horizons Expand Through Strategic Business Council
DHL Commits $150 Million for Landmark Logistics Hub in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Aramco Weighs Disposals Amid $10 Billion-Plus Asset Sales Discussion
Trump Hosts Saudi Crown Prince for Major Defence and Investment Agreements
Families Accuse OpenAI of Enabling ‘AI-Driven Delusions’ After Multiple Suicides
Riyadh Metro Records Over One Hundred Million Journeys as Saudi Capital Accelerates Transit Era
Trump’s Grand Saudi Welcome Highlights U.S.–Riyadh Pivot as Israel Watches Warily
U.S. Set to Sell F-35 Jets to Saudi Arabia in Major Strategic Shift
Saudi Arabia Doubles Down on U.S. Partnership in Strategic Move
Saudi Arabia Charts Tech and Nuclear Leap Under Crown Prince’s U.S. Visit
Trump Elevates Saudi Arabia to Major Non-NATO Ally Amid Defense Deal
Trump Elevates Saudi Arabia to Major Non-NATO Ally as MBS Visit Yields Deepened Ties
Iran Appeals to Saudi Arabia to Mediate Restart of U.S. Nuclear Talks
Musk, Barra and Ford Join Trump in Lavish White House Dinner for Saudi Crown Prince
Lawmaker Seeks Declassification of ‘Shocking’ 2019 Call Between Trump and Saudi Crown Prince
US and Saudi Arabia Forge Strategic Defence Pact Featuring F-35 Sale and $1 Trillion Investment Pledge
Saudi Sovereign Wealth Fund Emerges as Key Contender in Warner Bros. Discovery Sale
×