Palestinian shot dead by Israeli forces in Nabi Saleh

Saba Nidal Obaid, 20, was shot in the stomach while at demonstrations in support of 1,500 Palestinians on hunger strike.

Demonstrator waves a Palestinian flag in front of Israeli soldiers during a protest in solidarity with Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails, in the West Bank village of Nabi Saleh
About 1,500 Palestinian political prisoners are on their fourth week of a hunger strike [Reuters]

Israeli forces have shot dead a Palestinian youth and wounded more than 10 others during clashes in the occupied West Bank, according to officials and health workers.

Saba Nidal Obaid, 20, was shot in the stomach near the village of Nabi Saleh, north of Ramallah, during a protest on Friday in support of the 1,500 Palestinians on hunger strike across Israeli prisons.

Obaid later died in a nearby hospital, the Palestinian health ministry said in a statement.

Hamas warns Israel over prisoners’ demands as online support grows

His funeral was scheduled to take place later on Friday, Basem al-Tamimi, an activist present at the protest, told Al Jazeera from Nabi Saleh.

“We are on our way to attend the funeral of the martyred Obaid and are expecting thousands of people to turn up,” said Tamimi.

“We got to the demonstration before Friday prayers. After the prayers, Israeli forces started using tear gas, rubber bullets and live ammunition at the protesters.

“In addition to Obaid, three other protesters were shot by the Israeli forces – two were wounded by rubber bullets while the third was injured by live ammo.”

Clashes were also reported near the Beita junction and Beit Furik checkpoint on Friday.

INTERACTIVE: A timeline of Palestinian mass hunger strikes in Israel

A spokesperson for the Red Crescent told Al Jazeera that Israeli forces were not letting ambulances through in Nabi Saleh and most of the wounded were taken to hospitals in private cars.

“It wasn’t easy for us to get through,” said spokesperson Arab Faqha, adding that Israeli forces even tried arresting one of the injured from the ambulances before letting the vehicle through.

“In Beit Furik, we also treated 10 people. Two of our ambulances were also attacked by the Israeli forces who shot rubber bullets and shattered one of the windows. One of the ambulances was carrying an injured demonstrator to the hospital.”

According to Ma’an news agency, Obaid is the 21st Palestinian to be killed by Israeli forces and settlers since the start of 2017. 

Speaking to Ma’an, an Israeli army spokesperson acknowledged that the Israeli army had used live ammunition on a group of protesters “throwing rocks in Nabi Saleh”.

Hunger strike

Approximately 1,500 Palestinian political prisoners are on their fourth week of a hunger strike, risking their lives in hopes of gaining basic rights in Israeli jails.

Spread across several prisons in Israel, Palestinian prisoners embarked on the dangerous journey of an open-ended fast to pressure Israel – which is responsible under international law for the wellbeing of all persons in its custody – to improve prison conditions.

The prisoners are surviving on salt water only.

 
 
Source: Al Jazeera, News Agencies