Palestinians walk at the compound that houses Al-Aqsa Mosque, known to Muslims as Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as Temple Mount, in Jerusalem’s Old City May 21, 2021. Photo: REUTERS/Ammar Awad

i24 News – An investigation into the death of the Palestinian who died during clashes at the Temple Mount last month found he wasn’t hit by a sponge-tipped bullet, according to Monday reports.

The findings, obtained by Haaretz, are based on medical opinions and medical documents from institutions, including Jerusalem’s Hadassah Ein Karam, where Walid al-Sharif was hospitalized.

Al-Sharif, aged 21, of eastern Jerusalem, collapsed last month while fleeing the Temple Mount and was taken to the hospital with injuries.

The Palestinians claim a sponge-tipped bullet fired by police hit him. Israel Police say he had been throwing stones at them and sustained a head injury when he fell while running away. He died May 14.

There are no marks on al-Sharif’s body that indicate he was hit by a sponge-tipped bullet, according to Haaretz, citing medical documents. Instead, experts think he collapsed due to a heart attack, which is what also caused the massive brain injury that led to his death.

Video footage from the Temple Mount clashes shows al-Sharif running, then suddenly collapsing. Police proceeded to give him first aid, along with several medics, before he was taken to the hospital.

When he arrived at Hadassah Ein Kerem Medical Center, officials said he was “in very serious condition” without publicly stating the cause of the injury.

Medical findings, however, show that the injuries he suffered during the fall did not cause his death and that a heart attack could have caused the kind of massive brain injury he faced.