At least 10 Palestinians were killed Friday by Israeli forces during violent clashes in towns and cities across the West Bank, the Gaza-based Palestinian Health Ministry said in a statement, as sirens continued to blare all day across southern Israel, indicating another day of ceaseless rocket fire from Gaza.
The violence in the occupied West Bank marks the largest number of people killed in a single day there for years.
The Palestinian Red Crescent said Palestinians had been targeted with live ammunition, as well as rubber bullets and teargas.
Israel has continued this week a bombing operation the government says is targeting Palestinian militants in Gaza, which has killed at least 126 people, including at least 31 children and 20 women, the Palestinian Health Ministry reported Friday. At least 950 people, including at least 254 children, have sustained injuries as a result of Israeli airstrikes, the Health Ministry added.
According to the Palestinian Health Ministry, more than 500 Palestinians have been injured since clashes erupted earlier this week. The majority of those injured on Friday were “shot by live ammunition,” the Health Ministry added.
Israeli forces fire teargas canister at Palestinian demonstrators during clashes near the Jewish settlement of Beit El near Ramallah in the West Bank on Friday.
Palestinian demonstrators evacuate a wounded man during clashes with Israeli forces near the Jewish settlement of Beit El.
A spokesman for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement live ammunition was used after “crowd dispersal means” (referring to tear gas and rubber-coated bullets) had failed to stop the unrest.
The IDF estimated about 5,000 people had been involved in what it called riots across the West Bank, with participants throwing stones and incendiary devices at soldiers and military positions.
Speaking to a CNN team in Bethlehem, protesters said they will continue to demonstrate in solidarity with Palestinian families facing forced eviction in the neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah in Jerusalem, as well as those coming under Israeli bombardment in Gaza.
“We are doing this to show we stand with Gaza and our brothers in Jerusalem and [our brothers] inside Israel,” one protester who refused to give his name told CNN.
