4 injured as Israeli forces attack Palestinian rally in West Bank

At least four Palestinians, including three minors, have been injured after clashes broke out between a group of Palestinian demonstrators and Israeli military forces in the northern occupied West Bank.

Dozens of Palestinian protesters took to the streets in the town of Kafr Qaddum, located about 13 kilometers (8 miles) west of Nablus, on Friday to express their resentment with Israel’s policy of land expropriation and the closure of the town’s southern road by Israeli authorities.

Skirmishes erupted after Israeli troopers stormed the march and fired rubber-coated steel bullets to disperse the crowd.

Six-year-old Abd al-Rahim Abd al-Salam suffered gunshot wounds in the shoulder, while Moussa Abd al-Lateef, 13, and 17-year-old Jamil Helmi were shot in the hand and thigh, respectively.

Another Palestinian, identified as Odai Qaddumi, was also hit in the hands and stomach.

Separately, dozens of Palestinian demonstrators have suffered tear gas inhalation as they staged a rally in protest against the construction of the so-called separation wall and illegal settlements in the West Bank.

Coordinator of the Popular Committee against the Wall and Settlements in Bil’in, Rateb Abu Rahma, said Israeli soldiers fired scores of gas bombs and concussion grenades to break up the rally, causing many of the protesters to faint.

Clashes were also reported between Palestinians and Israeli forces as the latter stormed the town of Abu Dis near al-Quds (Jerusalem). A thick cloud of smoke covered the area as Israeli soldiers fired tear gas canisters, making dozens of residents, mostly children, start coughing and wheezing.