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A total of 291 Palestinians are currently in Israeli prisons, a Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) official said on Sunday.
In a statement, Hanan Ashrawi, a PLO Executive Committee member, said: "There are currently nearly 5,900 Palestinian prisoners, including 291 children in Israeli prisons."
The statement comes after teenaged Palestinian resistance icon Ahed al-Tamimi and her mother were released by Israeli authorities after an eight-month long detention.
A Palestinian minor on Saturday succumbed to wounds he sustained from Israeli army fire near border of the Gaza Strip, according to a local medical source.Muamen Fathi al-Hams, 15, was shot in his chest during anti-occupation protests near security forces in the eastern Gaza Strip on Friday.“He died of his wounds on Saturday,” the source said on condition of anonymity.The Palestinian Health Ministry has yet to issue a statement on the death.Video: 246 Palestinians injured in ongoing rallies in Gaza StripSaturday’s death toll takes to three the number of Palestinians martyred and scores injured by Israeli gunfire during Friday’s protests.Since March, more than 150 Palestinians have been martyred -- and thousands more injured -- by Israeli army gunfire during protests against the decades-long Israeli occupation and an 11-year blockade, which has gutted the Gaza economy and deprived its roughly 2 million inhabitants of many basic commodities.
Third Palestinian dies of wounds in Gaza protests
Israeli police have sent reinforcements to East Jerusalem’s flashpoint Al-Aqsa Mosque complex amid ongoing clashes with Muslim worshipers, according to eyewitnesses. “At least 50 additional policemen have entered the mosque compound within the last hour,” one eyewitness told Anadolu Agency. “Meanwhile,” he added, “Israeli forces have sealed the gates of Al-Aqsa and prevented anyone from entering the mosque compound.”A Palestinian official who works in the area told Anadolu Agency that “dozens” of Palestinians had been injured after Israeli forces entered the compound and began attacking worshipers. In a statement, Firas al-Dibs, a spokesman for Jerusalem’s Jordan-run Religious Endowments Authority, said at least 60 soldiers had entered the holy site, “where they used teargas and stun grenades to disperse worshipers after Friday prayers”. “Fifteen Palestinians have been injured, including three mosque guards,” he added. Video: Israeli police attack Muslims at al- Aqsa after Friday prayersAccording to al-Dibs, the Israeli authorities have sealed the compound’s Al-Qibali Mosque with iron chains and prevented Palestinian worshippers from entering the building. For Muslims, the Al-Aqsa represents the world's third holiest site. Jews, for their part, refer to the area as the "Temple Mount", claiming it was the site of two Jewish temples in ancient times. Video: Israeli forces storm J'lem's Aqsa, injuring worshipersIsrael occupied East Jerusalem during the 1967 Middle East War. It later annexed the city in 1980, claiming it as the capital of the self-proclaimed Jewish state in a move never recognized by the international community. In late 2000, a visit to the Al-Aqsa by controversial Israeli politician Ariel Sharon sparked a years-long popular uprising against the Israeli occupation in which thousands of Palestinians lost their lives.
Israeli forces storm J'lem's Aqsa, injuring worshipers
"Israel persistently violates the rights of Palestinian political prisoners while the international community turns a blind eye to such illegal behavior and inhumane treatment," said Ashrawi.
Al-Tamimi became an international icon for Palestinian resistance after she was filmed slapping an Israeli soldier during a raid on her home to arrest her brother.
Israeli forces arrested the Palestinian girl in December 2017 after a viral video showed her slapping an Israeli soldier; later an Israeli court handed down an eight-month long sentence in March for her “attack” on an Israeli soldier.
In 2012, Istanbul’s Basaksehir Municipality had granted al-Tamimi the prestigious Hanzala Courage Award for defying Israeli soldiers after she was photographed showing her tiny fists to the occupying forces.