Solidarity rallies with Gaza in the West Bank have deteriorated into violent clashes with the IDF Sunday, as thousands of people took to streets to protest Israel's operation in the Strip.
One of the biggest rallies was held in Nablus, where more than 4,000 Palestinians protested at the town's main square.
The protests were reminiscent of the first days of the current Intifada and the first Intifada and were held all across the West Bank, including the towns of Jenin, Tulkarem, and Hebron. Protestors carried Palestinian flags and photos of martyrs, while hurling stones at bottles at police and IDF forces.
A 13-year-old teen, Mahmoud al-Masalmeh, was shot and killed by soldiers during clashes in the village of Beit Awa near Hebron, local sources reported. Another 40 people were wounded, two of them critically.
The IDF said that al-Masalmeh was shot while attempting to cut a fence in the area.
Soldiers clash with Palestinian rioters in Hebron (Photo: AFP)
Meanwhile, business owners in Hebron have launched a strike to express solidarity with Gaza's residents, and schools have also gone on strike in some places.
Fearing that the demonstrations might claim more casualties, the Palestinian Authority has sent forces to contain the protest.
An IDF officer was lightly wounded Sunday after Palestinians stoned him during a riot near the West Bank settlement of Tekoa, near Bethlehem. Dozens of Palestinians have gathered in the area in protest of recent IDF operations in Gaza. The IDF is using crowd-control measure to break up the rally.
Meanwhile, dozens of Palestinians clashed with IDF soldiers operating near the Qalandiya refugee camp as well as near the West Bank city of Birzeit. No further injuries have been reported at this time.
Ali Waked, Hanan Greenberg and Aviram Zino contributed to the report
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