Zionist Forces Clash with Palestinians on Nakba Day
Scuffles broke out in the city of Bethlehem on Monday after
the Israeli forces fired tear gas and sprayed skunk water at the Palestinian
demonstrators.
Israeli soldiers also used stun grenades and rubber-coated
steel bullets against the protesters, the Palestinian Ma’an news agency
reported.
At least three people were injured and sent to the hospital
for treatment while numerous others suffered respiratory problems due to the
inhalation of tear gas in Bethlehem.
During the clashes, Palestinians threw rocks at Israeli
forces and set fire to tires and garbage containers and blocked the streets with
them.
The Nakba Day is marked annually on May 15. It refers to the forcible expulsion of some 750,000 Palestinians from their lands in 1948 and their scattering across refugee camps in the occupied West Bank, the Gaza Strip, and neighboring countries. Now, over five million Palestinians are estimated to be displaced across the world.
Elsewhere, in the West Bank city of Ramallah, Palestinians marched to mark the Nakba Day and express their solidarity with hunger-striking Palestinian prisoners. Since April 17, hundreds of Palestinian prisoners have been refusing food to voice their outrage at harsh conditions in Israeli jails.
The rally turned violent near the Israeli Beit El settlement after the Israeli forces fired tear gas, rubber-coated steel bullets, and Tutu bullets at the crowd.
Seven Palestinians sustained gunshot injuries in the clashes near the Israeli Beit El settlement, local sources told Ma’an.
Many of the protesters were clad in black T-shirts with the number 1948 written on the back. They also carried a large Palestinian flag and a black flag bearing the slogan "We shall return.”
