Details: Settlers assault children in the neighborhood of Batn Al-Hawa in Silwan…and violent clashes in the area
Dozens of the residents of the Middle Neighborhood in Silwan suffocated on Friday after the settlers and their guards along with the occupation forces assaulted them for no reason. Wadi Hilweh Information Center (WHIC) was informed that one settler assaulted the 8-year old Zeid Abu Qweider and severely beat him for no reason while he was in the neighborhood of Batn Al-Hawa concurrently with the presence of a young man in the area who intervened to protect the child refusing to see him being assaulted. The center added that verbal altercations broke out between the young man and the settler and nearly 20 settlers gathered and attacked a group of children with pepper gas; the children were between 5 and 14 years old. The center also explained that the settlers came out from the building of “Jamal Sarhan” located in the Middle Neighborhood which was recently sold to the settlement organization “Ateret Cohanim”. Witnesses explained to WHIC that the settlers’ guards and Special Forces raided the neighborhood (location of the assault) and supported the settlers and protected them; they heavily tear gas and sound grenades to disperse the locals who gathered to treat their injured children. Injuries… The center was informed that the 60-year old Abdullah Abu Nab and the 14-year old Mahdi Rajabi suffocated and suffered severe burns due to being sprayed by pepper gas and were transferred to Al-Maqased hospital for treatment. The children who were also injured are: Zeid Abu Qweider (8), Adam Rajabi (9), Rahaf Abu Qweider (5), Odai Rajabi (12), Hamzeh Rajabi (12), Yazan Rajabi (14) and Walid Al-Sha’er (16). Also, Asma’ Rajabi who is pregnant in her 8th month and Adnan Gheith’s father (75) were injured. The family of Mansour Jamjoom also suffocated after a tear gas grenade was directly fired towards their house. The family explained that 7 individuals live in the house including 5 children where the oldest is 13 years and the youngest in 7 months; baby Talin suffered a severe suffocation. Clashes… Violent clashes broke out in the neighborhood of Batn Al-Hawa after the settlers’ assaults and the occupation authorities turned the area into a military came after dozens of Special Forces were deployed in the street. They imposed like a “curfew” in the area and attacked the people present in the sit-in tent and fired sound and tear-gas grenades towards them to force them to leave; they also broke the chairs inside the tent. The Special Forces also attacked and pushed a group of young men in the area of Batn Al-Hawa and deliberately knocked on the houses’ door using their batons and the butts of their guns which led to a state of fear among the residents especially children; they also assaulted the young man Saleh Kash’am. The forces heavily fired tear-gas grenades in the neighborhood. Clashes in Al-Tur Violent clashes also broke out in the village of Al-Tur between the young men and occupation forces who turned the main street into a military camp. Witnesses explained that Molotov Cocktails hit a police vehicle injuring the passengers (policemen) with multiple burns. They also explained that the forces heavily fired tear gas, sound grenades and rubber bullets in the main street of Al-Tur.
