Dozens of Palestinian protesters injured in clashes with Israeli soldiers: Medics

Palestinian protesters were wounded on August 27 in clashes with Israeli soldiers in multiple West bank cities and villages, reported ANI quoting Palestinian medics and eyewitnesses. Hundreds of Palestinians on Wednesday demonstrated near the Israeli border in the southern Gaza Strip urging the Israeli authorities to ease a crippling blockade. The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said in a statement that its medical professional treated at least 33 Palestinians who were injured in clashes with the Israeli soldiers in the village of Beita, south of the northern West Bank city of Nablus.

The statement also noted that two of the demonstrators carried wounds of rubber-coated metal gunshots while 31 others suffered suffocation after inhaling tear gas fired by the soldiers. It also said that Israeli soldiers opened fire at one of the ambulances in the same area. In the last three months, reportedly, the village of Beita has witnessed daily clashes between the Palestinian protesters and the Israeli troops as they raise voice against the establishment of a settlement outpost close to the village and ‘confiscating’ parts of its land.

Eight Palestinians wounded in Qalqilya

Apart from Beita, Murad Ishteiwi, the coordinator for the Palestinian popular protests, as per ANI said that eight other Palestinian demonstrators were wounded by Israel’s law enforcement officers while dozens suffered suffocation due to tear gas near the town of Qalqilya in the West Bank. Ishteiwi also said that the clashes broke out during the rallies that the Palestinians organize every Friday afternoon against the Israeli settlement and confiscation of its land. 

Meanwhile, Egypt has been trying to broker a long-term ceasefire deal between both opposing sides and even appealed to the Islamic militant group to move towards peace. Shortly after the Wednesday demonstrations had ended, Hamas officials announced that the territory’s key border crossing with Egypt was partially reopening on Thursday. The Israeli military said earlier this week, as per AP, that it used tear gas and limited live fire to disperse the crowd of Palestinian protesters. Soheil al-Hendi, a Hamas official, reportedly said the group made a “great effort” to avoid bloodshed.

“The enemy must understand this message that we do not want to repeat what happened last Saturday when blood was spilled,” he said, as per AP.

IMAGE: AP

(With ANI & AP inputs)