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4 Palestinians shot by Israeli forces during Friday demos

12:00 Jan 15 2016 Kafr Qaddum, Tuqu, Ni'lin, Bethlehem

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Scene: untitled, MaanImages (file photo?)
Clashes in Kafr Qaddum on Jan. 15, 2015: (MaanImages)
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QALQILIYA (Ma'an) -- At least four Palestinians were shot by Israeli forces during weekly Friday demonstrations in the occupied West Bank, medics and locals said.

In the town of Kafr Qaddum in the Qalqilya district, a teen was injured by live fire and dozens of other demonstrators suffered from tear gas inhalation, popular resistance coordinator Murad Ishteiwi told Ma’an.

Mahmoud Hikmat, 17, was injured in the leg by a live bullet when Israeli forces raided the village with military vehicles and a bulldozer, Ishteiwi said, adding that snipers deployed across olive tree fields and opened fire at protesters.

Hikmat was taken to the Rafidiya Governmental Hospital for treatment.

Another Palestinian was shot with live fire in the leg in clashes with Israeli forces at the Western entrance of the village of Tuqu south of Bethlehem.

Local sources told Ma’an the man was taken to the local medical center in the village in stable condition, while several others suffered from tear gas inhalation.

Two Palestinians were shot and injured by rubber-coated steel bullets, one at the northern entrance of Bethlehem, and another in the village of Nilin west of Ramallah.

Separately, two Palestinians aged 19 and 26 were shot and killed during demonstrations near the al-Bureij refugee camp in the besieged Gaza Strip, according to medics.

Palestinians across the West Bank have long staged weekly demonstrations against the ongoing Israeli military occupation.
Participation in popular demonstrations increased in October alongside a wave of attacks carried out by Palestinians on Israeli military and civilians, but this month has so far shown a decline in frequency and intensity of such demonstrations.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs documented just over 200 Palestinian injuries during demonstrations during the first two weeks of January, down from a weekly average of over 1000 in the months prior.