The Occupation suppresses the weekly demonstrations against the wall and settlements and demonstrations condemning the martyrdom of captive Maisara Abu Hamdiyeh
Events on Friday 5th April
Hebron: Occupation Forces used tear gas and water cannons to suppress the weekly demonstration demanding freedom of movement in Hebron and the re-opening of the street connecting the city and the towns to the south; which have been closed for about 12 years.
The activist Bassam Shweiki of the Committee for the Defense of Hebron said that dozens of Palestinian militants from different sites in Hebron and a number of international activists demonstrated near the iron gate. This gate closes the main road leading to the towns to the south of Hebron in the area near the Haggai settlement. He explained that the army began firing tear gas among the demonstrators if they approached the gate. Dozens of soldiers and border guards also gathered and beat demonstrators before starting to pump water at them from a truck.
Yousef Abu Maria, an activist for Stop the Wall (STW) in the south said that demonstrators carried Palestinian flags and banners written in Arabic and English condemning the closures and calling for the release of prisoners. They also chanted slogans calling for an end to the occupation and the closures.
Another activist for STW, Murad Al-Jabari said that the activity today is part of a program of events and activities organized by the committees and the public to achieve freedom of movement in and around the city.
Extensive use of tear gas led to the injury and suffocation of dozens of protesters and residents in nearby houses, including a member of the Political Bureau of the People's Party Fahmi Shahin, who suffered a severe state of suffocation when gas canisters were set off in an adjacent field. He required first aid as youths responded by throwing stones at the Israeli forces.
Activist Izhak al-Absi from the Fuwwar refugee camp said that “we aim to unite our people behind a popular resistance. These events are proving successful and the resistance is steadily moving forward on the road to defeat the occupation and exercise our sovereignty over the territory”.
The demonstrators will continue their weekly demonstrations demanding the reopening of the road which forces about 150 residents in the south to travel an extra 12 miles to reach the city of Hebron.
Issawiya: Israeli Occupation Forces injured eight youths with rubber-coated metal bullets and arrested three others during clashes on Friday in Issawiya, a town in the north of occupied Jerusalem.
The clashes erupted after the undercover unit of the Israeli Occupation Army stormed the village, provoking citizens already angry about the martyrdom of Abu Hamdiyeh, and the deterioration of the health status of prisoner of Samer al-Issawi who has been on hunger strike for the 258 days.
Nablus: Several citizens were wounded by live ammunition fired by Israeli soldiers during clashes at the southern entrance to the city of Nablus during demonstrations to condemn the martyrdom of captive Abu Hamdiyeh.
Nabi Saleh: Again, the weekly demonstration here was suppressed by the IOF as they showed their solidarity with Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, denounced the killing of Abu Hamdiyeh and commemorated Palestinian Child Day. The Israeli soldiers fired live bullets, stun grenades, tear gas and waste water at the participants wounding and suffocating dozens of demonstrators.
The Popular Resistnace Committee of Nabi Saleh said “the international community is responsible for the suffering of the children of Palestine under the Israeli occupation, which carries out killings and arrests against them and robs them of their most basic rights to liberty and life”.
It also called for the “international community with all its legal institutions to take a serious stance to protect our children, by putting a stop to the violations of the occupation, and to help them to live like other children of the world”.
Bil'in: The IOF suppressed the weekly demonstration in Bil’in, which became known as the “Friday of Rage”, and citizens as well as foreigners showing solidarity were injured in the clashes.
Al-Khadr: Renewed clashes in the area of al-Khadr village, south of Bethlehem left several people suffering from the effects of tear gas and one young man dead. He was shot in the chest.
Al-Masra: The weekly demonstration in Al-Masra condemning the Annexation Wall and settlement expansion was also suppressed by the IOF. The spokesman for Stop the Wall in Bethlehem, Muhammad Briggah, said “Israeli soldiers assaulted the participants, who were beaten with hands and rifle butts and prevented the march from reaching the wall”. He added that “the march today was also to commemorate World Children's Day as well as to protest against the policy of the occupation towards our prisoners”. After the march a speech was made denouncing the management of prisons by the occupation and demanding that the international community and human rights organizations intervene to secure the release and save the lives of sick prisoners.
Kafr Kadum: Several foreigners who demonstrated in solidarity with Palestine suffered breathing difficulties and even fainted after the IOF used tear gas at the weekly anti-settlement demonstration in Qalqilya. Israeli soldiers also fired stun grenades and gas at the participants injuring a number of citizens who needed to be treated in the field.
A march, which was entitled “victory for Palestinian blood”, took place to commemorate Abu Hamdiyeh and martyrs from the village of Anabta. It began after Friday prayers and hundreds of citizens and peace activists chanted slogans against the occupation and its policy of terrorism against the Palestinian people and its prisoners.