Description

Photos:
Palestinians protesting along the Gaza border, today. Credit: Eliyahu Hershkovitz. Publshed by Haaretz

Abdullah Qatati. Published by IMEMC News

Ali al-Aloul. Published by IMEMC News
______

by IMEMC News
August 10, 2018 11:31 PM

The Palestinian Health Ministry has confirmed that Israeli soldiers killed, Friday, two Palestinians, including one medic, and injured 307 others, including 85 who were shot with live fire.

Dr. Ashraf al-Qedra, the spokesperson of the Health Ministry in Gaza, said the soldiers killed Ali Sa’id al-‘Aloul, 55, after shooting him with live fire, east of Rafah, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip.

Dr. al-Qedra added that an Israeli army sharpshooter killed a volunteer medic, identified as Abdullah Qutati, 20, east of Rafah.

He stated that the soldiers have injured 307 Palestinians, including 85 who were shot with live fire, during the Great March Procession on Palestinian lands near the barrier fence, in the eastern parts of the Gaza Strip.

176 of the wounded Palestinians received treatment at the make-shift clinics, while 131 were rushed to hospitals in the coastal region; five of them suffered life-threatening wounds.

Dr. al-Qedra said that, among the injured Palestinians, are 26 children, five medics and two journalists.

One of the seriously wounded Palestinians was shot with a live round in his head, east of Khan Younis, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip.

Another Palestinian, identified as Suleiman Qabalan, was shot with an expanding bullet in his head, east of Khan Younis, and was rushed to the European Hospital where he remains in a very critical condition.

Eyewitnesses said Israeli army sharpshooters were extensively deployed in their fortified posts across the fence, and fired dozens of live rounds at the protesters.

Despite the ongoing excessive use of deadly force by the army, thousands of Palestinians nonviolently marched, for the twentieth consecutive week of the Great Return March, which started on the Palestinian Land Day, on March 30.

The army has killed 160 Palestinians, and injured at least 17500 others, including dozens who suffered life-threatening wounds.
______

'Two Palestinians Killed, 307 Wounded' in Border Protests After Gaza Escalation

Palestinian medic dies after sustaining serious gunshot wound to the head, Gaza's Health Ministry reports. Committee leading demonstrations began calling on Gazans to join in protests before cease-fire had been declared

by Jack Khoury and Yaniv Kubovich for Haaretz
10.08.2018 20:58 Updated: 11:06 PM

Two Palestinians, one of whom was a medic, were killed and 307 Palestinians were wounded in clashes near the Gaza-Israel border, Gaza's Health Ministry reported Friday. 131 of the wounded were taken to local hospitals and 85 were said to be wounded from live fire. Five are currently in serious condition.

The Palestinian medic was identified as Abdullah Al-Qatati, while the second fatality was identified as a 55-year-old man.

Thousands of protesters reportedly gathered in five locations along the border, where demonstrators threw firebombs and stones at IDF forces and set fire to tires, the military reported. IDF forces also identified a person attempting to cross the border and who immediately returned back.

A number of Palestinians also threw a grenade at IDF forces in northern Gaza, the military said, though no casualties were reported. An IDF tank attacked a Hamas position in northern Gaza on two separate occasions, according to the IDF Spokesperson's Unit.

The number of Palestinians killed in clashes at the border has risen to 159 since March when the weekly protests began, the health ministry said. The protests are part of the "March of Return," weekly mass demonstrations for Palestinians' right of return and opposition to policies, such as the U.S. embassy relocation to Jerusalem.

Hamas called on Palestinians to march along the Gaza border earlier Friday. "The Palestinian people have stamina, and will continue the resistance with every means until achieving independence and freedom," said Hamas spokesman Hazem Kassem in response to Thursday's Israeli airstrikes on Gaza, adding that Israel has repeatedly failed to break their spirits. The committee in charge of the procession began calling on Gazans to join in protests before a cease-fire had been declared on Thursday.

In a statement released Friday, the European Union reiterated its support to reduce the tensions at the border, saying "the first priority now is for de-escalation and for civilians' lives not to be put at further risk."

Hamas plans to dispatch a flotilla of about 40 boats to northern Gaza on Saturday morning, according to a statement released by a national group for breaking the siege on Gaza. The announcement was made on various social networks Friday night.

The statement said that the boats would not carry any equipment which could pose a threat or be used as weapons. According to Palestinians, the flotilla's purpose is to raise awareness on lifting Gaza's sea blockade. This is not the first time Palestinians attempt to carry out a flotilla led by Hamas.

Cease-fire deal

An Egyptian source told Haaretz Thursday night that a cease-fire deal had been reached between Israel and Hamas. A senior Israeli source denied the reports.

According to Israeli assessments, Hamas wants to end the current round of violence following the damage and casualties caused by the military's attacks on the Strip. An Israeli official told Haaretz that while Hamas had been seeking a cease-fire agreement through intermediaries since Thursday morning, Israel continued to attack high-profile targets.

According to Al-Jazeera, the deal would take effect immediately. Following the deal, the military announced it would lift restrictions on Gaza border communities.

Since Wednesday night, Israel struck 150 targets in Gaza in retaliation to some 200 rockets fired from the Strip at Israel. Over 30 rockets were intercepted by the Iron Dome missile defense system. Several exploded inside Israel, including in the southern city of Be'er Sheva, located some 40 kilometers from the Strip. This was the first time rockets were fired at the city since the 2014 Gaza war. A woman in Israel was seriously wounded while two others suffered light injuries.

Gaza's Health Ministry reported that three Palestinians were killed by the Israeli attacks, including a pregnant woman, 23, her 18-month-old toddler and a man, who was identified as 30-year-old Ali Alrandur. He is the son of one of the commanders of Hamas' armed wing, Iz al-Din al-Qassam. Six other people were wounded by the strikes.
_____