Dozens of Palestinians hurt by Israeli army fire in West Bank

By Qais Abu Samra

RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) – Dozens of Palestinians were wounded by Israeli army fire during protests against settlement building in the occupied West Bank on Friday, according to medical sources and eyewitnesses.

The sources said nine Palestinians were injured by live fire and 39 by rubber-coated metal bullets fired by Israeli forces during the protests.

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said, in a press statement, that its crews dealt with 146 injuries in the town of Beita, south of Nablus, including nine by live bullets, 34 by rubber-coated metal bullets, seven sustained burns, and 87 cases of suffocation due to tear gas inhalation.

A number of the injured were hospitalized while others were treated in the field, it added.

In Beit Dajan, east of Nablus, five Palestinians were wounded by rubber-coated metal bullets, and dozens suffered temporary asphyxiation due to tear gas fired by Israeli forces, according to eyewitnesses.

In the town of Kafr Qaddum, east of Qalqilya, the coordinator of the Popular Resistance Committees in the town, Murad Eshteiwi, told Anadolu Agency that the Israeli army fired live bullets, metal bullets, and tear gas canisters at hundreds of Palestinians after the weekly Friday prayers.

He stated that dozens of participants in the march condemning the Israeli settlements suffered from tear gas inhalation and were treated in the field.

Palestinian youths threw stones at the Israeli occupation forces, and set rubber tires on fire, according to eyewitnesses.

Every Friday, the Palestinians organize marches against settlements and the separation wall in a number of villages and towns in the West Bank.

Israeli and Palestinian estimates indicate that there are about 650,000 settlers in West Bank settlements, including occupied Jerusalem, who live in 164 settlements and 116 outposts.