34 Palestinians killed, hundreds wounded as violence flares in West Bank and Gaza
Middle East, News October 16, 2015 2 Comments on 34 Palestinians killed, hundreds wounded as violence flares in West Bank and GazaFresh violence leaves 7 Israelis and 34 Palestinians killed while another 1400 Palestinians injured
Around seven Israelis and more than 30 Palestinians have died since the stabbings began, most of the Palestinians in riots or confrontations with police.
Thirty four Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli army and security forces since the beginning of October 2015, according to figures released by the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
The ministry said over 1,400 Palestinians were injured by live ammunition and rubber-coated steel bullets used by the Israeli forces during clashes across the West Bank, Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip.
Gun, knife and car attacks in Jerusalem and the West Bank have left seven Israelis dead and dozens wounded.
On Friday, Israel deployed more troops to the border with Gaza, where the ruling Palestinian group Hamas has called for Day of Rage demonstrations.
Gaza Health Ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Kidra said Israel’s military opened fire on Palestinians on Friday, killing one man and wounding dozens. A reporter for Palestine TV also said that the troops had shot a cameraman in the leg when they opened fire on the protest.
“Amidst the violence and unrest, the Israeli army and police are operating on a ‘shoot to kill’ policy,” said Diana Buttu, a Canadian-born Arab Israeli and former adviser to Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas.
Any Palestinian found on the streets of West Jerusalem can expect to be stopped, searched and interrogated repeatedly by police and military patrols – as well as hassled and threatened by civilians.
Israeli troops fired tear gas and live rounds as hundreds of Palestinians from Gaza approached a crossing into Israel, some throwing stones at the gate, on Friday.
Protests have erupted repeatedly along the Israel-Gaza border in recent weeks, as part of the upswing in violence during this period.
Palestinian President condemns attacks
On Friday, President Mahmoud Abbas condemned protesters for setting fire to a Jewish shrine in the West Bank city of Nablus as calls for a “Day of Rage” sent Israel’s police to the Palestinian territory to confront demonstrators. Abbas called for the immediate repair of the holy site, which many Jews believe serves as the final resting place of the biblical figure Joseph, son of the patriarch Jacob.
Abbas “stressed his rejection of these actions and all actions that violate law and order, and which distort our culture, our morals and our religion,” according to a statement from his office released Friday.
Israel urges UN to condemn Abbas ‘incitement’
Israel’s new U.N. ambassador is urging the Security Council to break its silence and make a statement against “the incitement that fuels terror” and support direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians.
Danny Danon accused Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas of leading “the dangerous incitement” with his “hate-filled speech”.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expects to meet US Secretary of State John Kerry in Berlin next week, his country’s ambassador to Washington told CNN on Friday.
UN to discuss violence between Israelis and Palestinians
The U.N. Security Council is set to hold a special meeting today to discuss the surge in violence between Israelis and Palestinians.
The meeting, which diplomats said was called at the request of council member Jordan, will include a briefing from the U.N. secretariat on the situation on the ground, the U.N. said.
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