The Manchester Evening News apologised on Tuesday after sparking outrage with an “appalling” headline accompanying its coverage of Sunday's deadly Jerusalem shooting. 

“In today’s print MEN we carried a headline on the international page following a deadly attack in Jerusalem. 

“We recognise the headline did not reflect the story in an accurate and balanced way. We apologise unreservedly for any upset caused,” the local daily said today.

The double-deck headline, which appeared in print this week, read: “Palestinian shot dead after holy site killing.”

A photo caption referred to Hamas gunman Fadi Abu Shkhaydam as a “Palestinian man who was fatally shot by Israeli police after he killed one Israeli and wounded four others.”

The gunman’s victim, 26-year-old Eliyahu Kay, was buried in Jerusalem on Monday.

The article had sparked outrage on social media and criticism from Jewish groups.

Board of Deputies President Marie van der Zyl described the headline as "a highly misleading inversion of what took place" and expressed hope the outlet would publish a prominent correction. 

“The incident in question saw a Hamas terrorist kill one Israeli civilian and wound four others, before being neutralised by the Israeli police," she said.

A statement from the Jewish Representative Council of Greater Manchester and Region said it contacted MEN's editor to demand an "urgent meeting."

It also hit out against the regional title for "the framing of the headline and the subsequent article" that "recklessly fails to reflect the tragic incident."