***image2***On June 18th, 2010, during the weekly march in opposition to the Apartheid Wall in the village of Niâlin (Ramallah District), the Israeli occupation forces assaulted ambulance crews of the Palestinian Red Crescent. The occupation forces beat the medical staff, threw down their important medical equipment, and arrested them. Hamud Said Amira, a cameraman from Niâlin who has been covering the weekly march in the village for two years was also assaulted during the demonstration. When the occupation forces opened the main gate of the Apartheid Wall, they pursued the protesters without succeeding in arresting them.
As usual, the weekly demonstration in Niâlin moved towards the confiscated land of the village. The occupation forces shot a barrage of tear gas and sound bombs at the villagers and activists, resulting in a number of cases of suffocation due to the inhalation of tear gas. On the other side of the Apartheid Wall, the occupation forces set fire to olive trees and the fire spread quickly leading to the destruction of trees which serve as a vital source of livelihood for many of the villagers. ***image3***After approximately half an hour, firefighters connected to the occupation forces came to extinguish the fires, however, at this time, many olive trees had already been destroyed.
News of what happened to the assaulted ambulance staff is still unknown. However, this is not the first time medical staff have been assaulted in the village of Niâlin for their efforts to aid the wounded. This demonstrates the extent of cruelty of the occupation forces who use any measures necessary to suppress activism for the Palestinian cause.