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Israeli soldiers fired live rounds at Palestinian protesters, injuring 52 on the 23rd Friday of anti-occupation rallies that began in March.
In a statement, Gaza’s Health Ministry said the Palestinians were injured at the eastern Gaza border.
A volunteer medical worker and a 10-year-old child were in serious condition, the statement said, adding 188 Palestinians had also been affected by teargas.
The protesters are demanding the “right of return” to their homes and villages in historical Palestine from which they were driven in 1948 to make way for the new state of Israel.
They are also demanding an end to Israel’s 11-year blockade of the Gaza Strip which has gutted the coastal enclave’s economy and deprived its 2 million inhabitants of basic commodities.
Since the Gaza rallies began on March 30, more than 170 Palestinian protesters have been martyred and thousands more injured by Israeli troops deployed along the other side of the buffer zone.
Israeli soldiers intervened Palestinians who stage a protest to prevent construction of Israeli settlements on Palestinian land in the village of Ras Karkar near the West Bank city of Ramallah on Friday.
Israeli forces intervene in Palestinian protesters in Ramallah
A total of 19 Palestinians were martyred by Israeli troops during the month of August, a PLO-affiliated research center said Friday.According to the Abdullah al-Hourani Center for Studies and Documentation, Israeli forces typically used teargas, rubber bullets and heavy ammunition to disperse Palestinian demonstrators near the Gaza-Israel buffer zone.In a Friday statement, the center said that 17 Palestinians had been killed near the buffer zone this month, while two more had been killed in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.Germany to boost funds for Palestinians after US cutAt least 1,600 protesters were injured over the same period, the statement added, while roughly 400 others had been temporarily detained by Israeli authorities.Since the demonstrations in Gaza began on Mar. 30, more than 170 Palestinians have been killed -- and thousands more injured -- by Israeli army troops deployed along the other side of the buffer zone.Protesters demand the “right of return” to their homes and villages in historical Palestine from which they were driven in 1948 to make way for the new state of Israel.They also demand an end to Israel’s 11-year blockade of the Gaza Strip, which has gutted the coastal enclave’s economy and deprived its roughly two million inhabitants of many basic commodities.Israeli prime minister’s wife suspected of bribery
19 Palestinians martyred in August: Research center
Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman ruled out the possibility of another large-scale military assault on Hamas in the Gaza Strip, saying Israel would pay a “heavy price” for such a move.“There are two options: to topple Hamas with the Israeli army, for which we would pay a heavy price, or to try to find a situation in which the [Gazan] public itself would topple the [Hamas] regime,” Lieberman told Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth on Thursday.An armed Palestinian resistance movement, Hamas has governed the Gaza Strip since 2007, when it seized the enclave from rival Palestinian movement Fatah.Israeli army arrests 16 Palestinians in West Bank raidsAnswering questions about the possibility of Hamas winning future Palestinian elections, Lieberman said: “As far as I know, there is no chance of Hamas winning free elections in Gaza.”In 2005, Israel withdrew from the Gaza Strip and dismantled all of its settlements there. Its air/land/sea blockade of the territory, however, has remained intact until today.In 2006, Hamas swept Palestinian legislative elections, results of which were never implemented due to outstanding differences -- and deep-seated acrimony -- between the resistance group and Fatah.UNRWA warns of increased instability if US cuts fundsIsraeli court extends Palestinian woman’s detention
Israel would pay ‘heavy price’ for Gaza war: Lieberman
The Israeli army rounded up 16 Palestinians in overnight raids carried out across the occupied West Bank, according to an Israeli army statement released Thursday. The individuals were detained for what the army described as “suspected involvement in popular terrorist activities”.It did not elaborate on the nature of these activities.UNRWA warns of increased instability if US cuts fundsThe 16 detained Palestinians have since been remanded into custody for further investigation, according to the same statement. The Israeli army frequently conducts sweeping arrest campaigns across the occupied territories on the pretext of searching for “wanted” Palestinians. According to Palestinian figures, some 6,500 Palestinians are currently languishing in Israeli prisons, including scores of women, roughly 350 minors, and at least six lawmakers.Israeli court extends Palestinian woman’s detention
Israeli army arrests 16 Palestinians in West Bank raids