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HEBRON (Ma'an) -- A 22-year-old man was shot dead by Israeli soldiers in the West Bank city of Hebron on Monday, the second Palestinian casualty of West Bank protests in support of Gaza.

Hamdi Mohammad Jawwad Al-Falah, 22, from Hebron was shot four times during clashes in the Bir al-Mahjar neighborhood in western Hebron.

Medics said he had two bullets in the chest, one of which penetrated the heart, a third in the face and another in the knee. He was handed to the Palestinian Red Crescent after 15 minutes, they said.

Witnesses said he was shot at close range during a protest where youth burned tires and threw stones at forces.

An Israeli army spokeswoman said forces were "assaulted by a masked suspect" at a demonstration, and felt an "imminent and present danger for their lives" and shot him with live fire.

"The suspect was killed as a result and incident is being reviewed," she said.

Earlier Monday, a 28-year-old Palestinian man died after he was wounded in earlier clashes with Israeli forces at a protest in the West Bank.

Rushdi Mahmoud Hassan al-Tamimi was hit by live fire in the stomach and thigh during a Gaza solidarity demonstration in Nabi Saleh, near Ramallah, on Saturday, the village's popular committee said.

After news of his death, a large crowd of Palestinians took to the streets in Ramallah to protest before heading to the hospital to offer condolences.

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Israel suppresses Gaza protests in West Bank; two Palestinians killed

By Mya Guarnier for +972


Rushdi Tamimi, 31, was shot by Israeli soldiers during a protest in Nabi Saleh on Saturday; he died today in a Ramallah hospital. A 22-year-old protester in Hebron, Hamdi Falah, died today after soldiers shot him four times. In the past several days, Israeli forces have violently put down demonstrations, held in East Jerusalem and the West Bank, against the army’s “Operation Pillar of Defense.”

For the second day in a row, Israeli soldiers fired tire gas at the unarmed students of Al Quds University in Abu Dis in the West Bank in an attempt to suppress protests against the assault on Gaza.

A 19-year-old student told +972 that, as she was leaving campus yesterday around 4:00 p.m., she saw little kids throwing stones at Israeli soldiers. One of the college students also threw a rock in the soldiers’ direction, she said, as a form of protesting the Israeli assault on Gaza that has killed over 100 Palestinians. The soldiers shot tear gas at the children and the student and then ran towards a crowd of university students, pushing them into campus, where they continued to fire tear gas at them.

Five Al Quds University students were arrested.

The student reported that she and dozens of other students hid in a building as they did not want to confront the soldiers. One of her friends fainted from tear gas inhalation.

A professor told +972 that as he fled campus yesterday afternoon, he saw one student, “lying down and twitching.” Another student was bleeding from his head.

Clashes between Israeli soldiers and unarmed Palestinian students took place this afternoon outside of Al Quds Univeristy. Soldiers shot tear gas onto the campus.

Abu Dis is located in the West Bank Area B, which is under the administration of the Palestinian Authority with Israel maintaining control over security.

According to Maan News Agency, more than 50 protesters were injured today during demonstrations, held in East Jerusalem and the West Bank, against Israel’s “Operation Pillar of Defense.” Israeli soldiers suppressed the protests with sound bombs, tear gas, and rubber-coated bullets. At least a dozen demonstrators were arrested today.

Abir Kopty of the Popular Struggle Coordination Committee reported that protests held on Saturday and Sunday at Nabi Saleh, Ofer Military Prison, Hebron, Nablus, Jenin, and Bethlehem were put down tear gas, rubber bullets, and rubber-coated bullets, with soldiers sometimes firing directly at demonstrators. More than 10 protesters were arrested and a number were injured, including Tamimi, who was shot in the back with live ammunition. According to Kopty, “While injured, soldiers dragged him attempting to detain him.”

Tamimi was taken to a hospital in Ramallah where he died of his injuries today.

Falah was protesting the Israeli assault on Gaza when soldiers shot him in the face, chest, and knee. According to Maan News Agency, witnesses reported that Falah “was shot at close range.”

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