More Palestinians shot dead in the West Bank as Gaza death toll rises

Jordanians run towards Israel border to support Palestinians

Middle East Eye has received footage of Jordanians running towards the border separating Jordan from the occupied West Bank earlier on Friday.

Crowds had gathered at the Israeli-controlled border in support of Palestinians protesting in several cities and towns.

Watch the video here:


Palestinians take part in a protest in Bethlehem, Israeli forces use tear gas to disperse it

Protesters gathered in the Palestinian town of Bethlehem south of Jerusalem in the occupied West Bank on Friday were met with tear gas from Israeli forces.

The protesters voiced their opposition to the continued Israeli air strikes on Gaza that have killed dozens of civilians since Monday, as well as the attacks on Al-Aqsa Mosque and the eviction threat facing Palestinian residents of Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood in Jerusalem.

Below are some photos from the demonstration by Middle East Eye’s Akram al-Waraa:

Palestinians gather to protest in the city of Bethlehem
Palestinians gather to protest in the city of Bethlehem, 14 May, 2021 (MEE/Akram al-Waara)
A young boy looks down during a protest in Bethlehem (MEE/Akram al-Waara)
A Palestinian boy takes part a protest in Bethlehem, 14 May, 2021 (MEE/Akram al-Waara)
A man waves a Palestinian flag in front of a group of Israeli forces in Bethlehem.
A man waves a Palestinian flag in front of a group of Israeli forces in Bethlehem, 14 May, 2021 (MEE/Akram al-Waara)
Israeli forces used tear gas against Palestinian protesters in Bethlehem.
Israeli forces use tear gas against Palestinian protesters in Bethlehem, 14 May, 2021 (MEE/Akram al-Waara)

Israel targets Palestinian journalists in West Bank with live ammunition

Israeli forces have intensified their crackdown on journalists covering confrontations that continue to take place across the occupied West Bank, Middle East Eye’s correspondent Shatha Hammad reported late on Friday.

According to Hammad, four photojournalists were hit by steel bullets while doing their job at the northern entrance to the city of al-Bireh, near the settlement of Beit El. The journalists are Hisham Abu Shakra, Mutasim Saqf al-Heit, Issam Al-Rimawi, and Ramiz Awad.

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Abu Shakra told MEE that the Israeli army fired live bullets at him from close range and targeted him with tear gas canisters on Friday.

He also explained that he was pursued by the army, causing him to fall to the ground, subsequently causing damage to his equipment and wounding him.

Raed al-Sharif, another journalist from the West Bank, told MEE that he and other journalists, including Mahoor al-Wahwah and Jamil Salhab, were covering the confrontations in the city of Yatta on Friday when they were suddenly shot by snipers.

“We felt fear and found ourselves being targeted directly, which prompted us to leave the place and stop our coverage.”

Violent tactics have been used to quash the protests around the West Bank and other regions in recent weeks, including beating people, using tear gas, sound grenades and rubber bullets.

Many have reported difficulties in breathing as a result of the continued use of tear gas, with some needing medical attention.

Skunk water, which has been used by Israeli forces as a tactic to disperse crowds, has also targeted journalists, forcing them to evacuate areas and hindering their ability to carry out their job.

According to the Palestinian Prisoners Society, 90 people have been arrested in the West Bank since tensions escalated earlier this week.

The Palestinian Prisoners Affairs Authority also said that over the last three weeks, Israeli authorities have carried out a mass campaign of arrests against Palestinians in Jerusalem and the West Bank.

The Palestinian government agency estimates that Israel has carried out around 600 arrests in the past few weeks, with the majority of them being in the Israeli town of Lod, known to Palestinians as Lydd, as well as in Jerusalem and Ramleh

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Published at www.middleeasteye.net