Israeli soldiers aim towards Palestinian youths during clashes in the West Bank town of Hebron on Oct. 4, 2015. (AFP/Hazem Bader, File)
BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) -- Several Palestinians were injured on Wednesday in the Hebron and Qalqiliya districts of the occupied West Bank, as Israeli forces raided Palestinian homes, causing clashes to break out between locals and armed Israeli forces.
In the Hebron district of the southern West Bank, at least three Palestinians were shot and injured with rubber-coated steel bullets during clashes with Israeli forces in the al-Arrub refugee camp.
Medics of the Palestinian Red Crescent told Ma'an that they had evacuated three young men to al-Ahli hospital and Hebron's public hospital after they were hit with the rubber-coated steel bullets, specifying that one of the injured young men suffered from leg fracture, another was hit in the thigh, and the third was hit in the foot.
According to official Palestinian Authority (PA) Wafa news agency, clashes broke out after Israeli forces raided the camp for unknown reasons. Forces fired rubber-coated steel bullets and and tear gas at residents and their homes, resulting in the injury of the three youths, whose identities remained unknown, and the suffocation of several others as a result of the tear gas.
An Israeli army spokesperson told Ma'an that Israeli soldiers used "riot dispersal means," including tear gas, in al-Arrub when "dozens" of Palestinians started throwing rocks.
Separately, in Qalqiliya city, located in the northern West Bank, clashes erupted as Israeli forces raided the al-Murouj area for the second day in a row, allegedly in search of Palestinians from the area who had previously opened fire at Israeli soldiers, Wafa reported.
Wafa quoted the director of Qalqiliya’s emergency medical center, Munther Nazzal, as saying that at least four Palestinians suffocated after inhaling tear gas fired by the forces. They were all treated at the scene.
On Tuesday, according to Wafa, forces had stormed the al-Murouj area, raiding and searching dozens of homes and confiscating the surveillance cameras. Forces reportedly broke down doors and “wreaked havoc” int dozens of homes. No arrests were reported.
An Israeli army spokesperson said they were looking into reports.
Rights groups have routinely condemned Israeli authorities for their use of excessive force against Palestinians during clashes, particularly in refugee camps.
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