Occupation Israeli forces injure 40 Palestinians in al-Khalil

At least 40 Palestinians have been injured in central al-Khalil as Israeli forces tried to disperse hundreds taking part in rallies condemning the brutal Zionist assault on Gaza as well as the Israeli occupation of Palestine.

Sources at the Red Crescent said that 25 Palestinians had been shot with live fire and 15 with rubber-coated steel bullets during the clashes, and the injured had been taken to hospitals.

Hazem Shalalda, director-general of al-Mizan Hospital, said that Nader Idriss, 40, was undergoing complex surgery after being shot in the heart by Israeli forces during the clashes.

The march began after Friday Prayers at al-Husseini Mosque and moved toward central al-Khalil, where clashes erupted with Israeli forces in Baba al-Zawiya.

An Israeli military spokeswoman said that approximately 300 protestors rolled burning tires, firebombs, and rocks at Israeli soldiers.

Al-Khalil is a frequent site of tension due to the presence of more than 500 settlers in the heart of the Old City around the Ibrahimi Mosque, also known as the Tomb of the Patriarchs.

The settlers, protected by tens of thousands of Zionist troops, frequently harass local Palestinian residents in order to force them out of the area and allow settlements in the area — which often consist of merely one or two buildings — to expand.