Uprising in Jerusalem on the occasion of Al-Nakba...The arrest of 30 Jerusalemites and injury of dozens
The Israeli forces arrested 30 Jerusalemites and injured dozens with bruises and burns, after suppressing the “Return” march in the city of Jerusalem, on occasion of the 65th anniversary of Al-Nakba.
The march, which came together raising the Palestinian flag, initiated from “Rockefeller” park towards Al-Zahra Street. Upon arrival in front of the National Hotel, they were attacked by the Cavalry unit, but the participants insisted on moving forward until they reached Salah Eddin Street and were followed by the Cavalry unit several times until they reached Herod’s Gate.
The participants at Herod’s Gate chanted and raised the Palestinian flags and they were attacked, pushed and hit with batons by the Special Forces who were also supported by the Cavalry unit which suppressed all the citizens and even went inside some of the stores in the city. The water hose trucks then started spraying people to separate them. They also tried to prevent the participants from moving forward but they kept going and managed to arrive at Damascus Gate.
Palestinian flags and “Return” banners rose in Damascus Gate, and the Israeli forces suppressed the participants several times using different methods as they were sprayed with pepper gas and firing sound bombs towards them, along with hitting them with batons and spraying them with the dirty water. The special units emptied the Damascus Gate square more than once, but the Jerusalemites kept on coming back and chanted for the Return and performed the afternoon prayer.
The Israeli forces then closed Damascus Gate and Salah Eddin Street and disrupted the movement of the citizens and prevented many of them from getting to their homes.
It was obvious that the Israeli forces were targeting the paramedics as 3 of them got injured; journalists were also targeted and Tawfiq Salib, Al-Arabiya channel photographer, was arrested.
The Israeli occupation forces arrested more than 30 Jerusalemites, some of them were: Naser Qos, Head of the Prisoner’s Club in Jerusalem, Tawfiq Salib, Al-Arabiya channel photographer, activist former prisoner Kayed Alrajabi, Ibrahim Hindi, Naeem Salah, Yaser Qos, Jom’a Risheq, Ala’ Khroub, Saeed Abulhawa, Naser Ajaj, Ismaeel Abulhawa, Jihad Naser Qos, Mahmoud Mu’nes, Firas Syoori, Ahmad Jaber, Mahmoud Khalil Abu Lafi, Fadi Abu Lafi, Amjad Abu Jom’a, Ahmad Abu Halaweh and Mustafa Jaber.
The medical rescue said that 25 Jerusalemites were injured during the clashed, among them were paramedics and they are: Walid Farawy injured by shrapnel from a sound bomb, Mahmoud Naser and Obada Qawasmi were injured by pepper gas, 10 other Jerusalemites were injured by rubber bullets along with several others injured by the batons used by the Israeli occupation forces.
The 66-year old Ya’kob Farrah suffered eye deviation after being sprayed with the water hose directly to his eye and said: “we were in the protest and I was sprayed with the water hose from a distance that was shorter than 3 meters, I fell on the ground due to the severe pain I had in my eye, which led to my injury with an eye deviation.”
The clashes spread into the Old City of Jerusalem, and the Israeli forces arrested a number of young men.
