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Roundup: 3 Palestinian killed on "rage" Friday

Xinhua, October 31, 2015 Adjust font size:

Three Palestinians were killed and more than 75 others wounded in a day of flaring tensions and violent confrontations with Israeli security forces in the Palestinian territories, health ministry officials said Friday.

One Palestinian was shot dead and another was critically injured by the Israeli army's fire near the northern West Bank city of Nablus on Friday noon.

Palestinian Health Ministry said that the 20-year-old Qasem Sabaana died after Israeli forces opened fire on two men. The 17-year-old man who was with Sabaana sustained critical injuries and was receiving treatment in a local hospital.

Israeli police sources said that the two men attempted to stab an Israeli policeman stationed at Za'atara checkpoint near Nablus.

Medics were allowed to take the injured and deceased to a Palestinian hospital, unlike previous incidents where Israel would arrest suspects who carried out attacks against Israelis, or detain the bodies of the dead.

Later on Friday, a Palestinian from east Jerusalem was also shot dead by an Israeli police force after he stabbed an Israeli there.

The stabbed Israeli sustained light to moderate injuries, Israeli public radio reported, adding that another Israeli bystander sustained moderate wounds after being mistakenly shot by the Israeli forces.

Also on Friday, the eight-month Palestinian toddler Mohammed Thawabta died of tear gas inhalation in Beit Fajjar village near Bethlehem in clashes that erupted between the Israeli army and Palestinian stone-throwers in the village, Palestinian health ministry said.

Hundreds of Palestinians took part in protests that turned violent across the West Bank and Gaza after Palestinian factions called for a "day of rage" to protest the Israeli violations.

The Palestinian health ministry said in a statement that more than 75 Palestinians were injured, 46 of them are from the Gaza Strip.

The Palestinians were injured by Israeli troops' gunfire during the clashes that broke out in the West Bank cities of Ramallah, Hebron, Bethlehem and Nablus, and on the borderline area between eastern, northern and southern Gaza Strip and Israel.

Israeli forces excessively fired tear gas at the protesters, and activists shared videos of Israeli soldiers attacking journalists in the clashes near Bet El settlement close to the West Bank city of Ramallah.

Tensions run high, particularly in the West Bank cities of Hebron and Jenin, where families have received the bodies of six Palestinians killed in the violence that erupted in the beginning of October.

Five bodies were also delivered in Hebron and a large funeral is expected on Saturday. In Jenin city, north of the West Bank, Israel delivered the body of 16-year-old Ahmed Kmail to his family for burial.

Israel still withholds bodies of 26 Palestinians who were killed in the wave of tension since early October. Israel has detained the bodies after accusing the deceased of attempting to stab or stabbing Israelis.

Whereas tension is escalating, Palestinian leaders are continuing diplomatic efforts to seek protection for the Palestinian people at the international platforms.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Mahmoud Abbas has met with the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) Fatu Bin Souda at the Hague on Friday in effort to highlight Israel's violations against Palestinians.

Secretary General of the Executive Committee of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) Saeb Erekat said that Abbas dropped a file of Israeli violations that consists of 53 pages to the ICC.

"The file documents in details every single crime the Israelis have committed against the Palestinians during the month of October, mainly the crimes of street and extra-judicial executions," said Erekat in an press statement.

Friday's killings bring the Palestinian death toll since the beginning of the current wave of violent that erupted on Oct. 1 to 71, Health Ministry officials said. More than 2,000 were injured by Israeli security forces gunfire.

The wave of tension in the area were sparked in mid of September following Israeli measures at al-Aqsa mosque compound in east Jerusalem, which were strongly rejected by the Palestinians. Endit