Live ammo & Molotovs: Dozens of Palestinians injured in vicious clashes with Israelis (VIDEOS)
Intense clashes have engulfed West Bank and Gaza Strip resulting in almost a hundred of injuries and several deaths. Israeli forces used live rounds and tear gas to push back violent Palestinian youths who pelted the officers with stones and Molotov cocktails.
Vicious violence in the Gaza strip left at least 46 Palestinians injured after Israeli forces confronted the Molotov-cocktail propelling youth, a spokesperson for the Gaza Ministry of Health, Ashraf al-Qidra, told Ma'an news agency.
At least 17 people were injured by live fire in the clashes near the Erez crossing in the northern Gaza Strip. A medical worker was injured after Israeli forces targeted a Palestinian Red Crescent ambulance in the al-Farrahin area in eastern Khan Younis.
READ MORE: 8-month-old dies from ‘tear gas shot by Israeli forces’ – Palestinian Health Ministry
Al-Qidra said that another 19 were injured by rubber-coated steel bullets and burns from tear gas canisters. Another ten Palestinians suffered from tear gas inhalation. All of the injured are being treated at the hospital.
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson told the Palestinian news agency that Israel had been forced to respond after hundreds of Palestinians attempted to “breach the security fence,” forcing the them to open fire “in order to stop infiltration that would gravely endanger the safety of communities nearby.”
Over in the West Bank, clashes between Palestinians and Israeli troops broke out in Bethlehem during a similar scenario.
Palestinian youths threw petrol bombs and stones at Israeli forces, who responded by firing rubber bullets and tear gas. More than 28 rioters were injured during the confrontation.
Intense clashes were also witnessed in Ramalla when Israeli forces fired rounds and tear gas at Palestinian protesters and journalists as they filmed during a protest. Among those tear-gassed was journalist and RT correspondent Yafa Stetty. Protesters set fire to an Israeli military vehicle as it shot tear gas at them during the clashes.
In the West Bank town of Bait Fajjar, close to Bethlehem, an eight-month-old baby fell victim to tear gas deployed outside her family home. She suffocated to death.
At a Za’tara roadblock next to the city of Nablus, the Israeli forces shot dead a young Palestinian, seriously wounding another boy in the incident.
Violence has escalated across the occupied Palestinian territories and Israel in recent weeks. At least 64 Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli forces with over 2,120 injured. In the same period, at least 11 Israelis have died as a result of attacks.
READ MORE: Palestinians file new evidence of Israeli ‘war crimes’ to International Criminal Court
The UN Security Council is set to debate a draft resolution submitted by New Zealand aimed at halting the recent escalation of violence.
The draft demands that both Israel and the Palestinians take steps “to end the violence, avoid incitement and protect civilians.” It calls on both parties to refrain from “provocative acts, including acts which threaten the historic status quo of holy sites in Jerusalem.”
Russia's UN Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said that the Security Council “should get closer involved,” in the conflict that has not seen any UNSC resolutions in six years.
“I think we should seriously look at it,” he told reporters. “I don't see anything controversial about that text.”
