World Bulletin/News Desk

Residents of Arab cities and municipalities in Israel staged a general strike on Sunday to protest the killing of a Palestinian youth by Israeli police on Wednesday.

"A general strike was staged in the Negev and all Arab cities in protest at the killing of Sami al-Aggar, who was killed by Israeli police in the southern city of Rahat on Wednesday," an eyewitness told The Anadolu Agency.

Activists have called on Palestinian residents of the Negev and Arab towns in Israel to participate in the funeral procession of 22-year-old al-Aggar, which will be held later Sunday.

Israeli police, for their part, announced the deployment of forces in Rahat in anticipation of clashes with Arab residents following the funeral, according to Israeli radio.

On Friday, the city of Rahat a saw a large demonstration that called for the Supreme Steering Committee of the Arabs of the Negev – the representative of Arab Israelis – to protest the killing of al-Aggar.

On Wednesday, Israeli police said that two of its troops were injured during clashes with residents in Rahat.

The police said that they were pursuing "criminals," without admitting to killing al-Aggar.

Tension has run high in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem since late last October, when Israel briefly closed the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound after an extremist rabbi was injured in a drive-by shooting in West Jerusalem.