The Palestinian National Authority (PNA) condemned on Saturday the killing of a Palestinian young man by Israeli police gunfire in east Jerusalem.

The PNA presidency said in a press statement that the killing of the Palestinian young man under the pretext that the police shot him when he was trying to stab an Israeli "is false pretext."

It noted that it is not the first time that "such awful actions are committed under various false pretexts," adding that "such crimes urge the international community's intervention to protect our people and end Israeli occupation."

Earlier on Saturday, Palestinian sources said that Mohamed Abu Ghannam, 17, was shot dead by Israeli police gunfire at an Israeli army checkpoint in east Jerusalem.

According to the sources, a hand fight broke out between Ghannam and the Israeli police men at the Israeli checkpoint while he was walking with his sister, and during the fight, the police men shot him dead.

Israeli public Radio quoted the Israeli police as saying that Abu Ghannam was killed after he tried to stab with a knife one of the Israeli police men at the checkpoint.

The radio added that when Abu Ghannam ran away from the police, they fired first into the air and then shot him dead when he refused to stop.

Tensions between Israel and the Palestinian have been surging recently. On Thursday night, Israel's army artillery fired several shells on the northern Gaza town of Beit Hanon, hours after a rocket was fired from the Strip into southern Israel.