Israeli forces injure Palestinian protesting ‘flag march’ in Gaza

By Mohammed Majed and Ali Semerci

GAZA CITY, Palestine (AA) - Israeli forces injured a Palestinian during a mass demonstration Thursday against a "flag march" in the Gaza Strip near its border with Israel.

Thousands of far-right Israelis gathered in occupied East Jerusalem for the annual event marking Israel's capture of Jerusalem in the 1967 war, which took place this year amid heightened tensions.

Young Palestinians gathered near the barbed wire fence along the Gaza-Israel border carrying Palestinian flags and set tires ablaze.

They chanted slogans such as "Jerusalem is ours," "Our souls and blood will be sacrificed for you, Oh Aqsa" and "We will go to Jerusalem.”

Israeli soldiers intervened with tear gas and live bullets from the Israeli side of the border.

Two Palestinian protestors, including a child, were affected by the tear gas.

Paramedics took the injured child to a hospital and provided medical services to Palestinians affected by the tear gas.

Abd al-Latif al-Qanu, a spokesperson for the Palestinian resistance group Hamas, told Anadolu that the "flag march" is one of the indicators of Israel's attempt to expand its sovereignty over Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Stressing that the determination of the Palestinian people will prevent Israel from achieving its goal, he added that the fight against Israel over the identity of Al-Aqsa Mosque continues.

The march began in West Jerusalem and made its way to the Damascus Gate and the Muslim Quarter of the Old City to al-Buraq Wall, which Jews call the Wailing Wall.

The controversial march has triggered violent clashes in recent years, including an 11-day conflict between Israel and Palestinian groups in Gaza in May 2021.

For Muslims, Al-Aqsa represents Islam’s third-holiest site. Jews call the area the Temple Mount, saying it was the site of two Jewish temples in ancient times.

Israel occupied East Jerusalem, where Al-Aqsa is located, during the 1967 Arab-Israeli War. It annexed the entire city in 1980, a move never recognized by the international community.