Holy Land: Gaza protest death toll grows

Separation Wall around Bethlehem

Four more unarmed men shot by the Israeli army in Gaza during the recent protests, have died in the last two days. Hussein Salem Abu Oweida, 41, was selling ice cream hundreds of metres from the border when he was shot in the spine and paralyzed. He leaves behind his wife and children. Yasser Sami Habib, 24, suffered a very serious injury and was rushed to a hospital in Gaza, and was later transferred to St Joseph Hospital, in occupied Jerusalem, where he succumbed to his wounds. Ahmad Ali Qattoush, 23, and Mohannad Bakr Abu Tahoun, 21 have also died.

Their deaths bring the number of Palestinians, killed by Israeli army fire since the Great Return March procession started on Palestinian Land Day, on March 30th, 2018, to 116 Palestinians. More than 13, 000 Palestinians have been injured, including 332 who are suffer life-threatening wounds.

The Israeli army has not reported a single injury.

Elsewhere, in al-Khader, south of Bethlehem, illegal Israeli settlers entered a Palestinian farm and hacked down down dozens of trees and vines. Hasan Breijiyya, the coordinator of the Popular Committee against the Annexation Wall and Colonies in Bethlehem, said the colonizers cut 25 peach trees, and 35 grapevines, owned by a local farmer, identified as Salah Shahin. Breijiyya stated that this is the second attack targeting the same area this week alone, and added that the area is frequently targeted by the colonizers, and the army, in an attempt to expand the existing illegal colonies.

Meanwhile, yesterday, boats attempting to take hospital patients out of Gaza for treatment were turned back by the Israeli Navy.