Hundreds of Palestinian protesters staged demonstrations across the West Bank on Friday to show solidarity with the besieged Gaza Strip, which continues to reel under an ongoing Israeli offensive now in its twelfth day.
Clashes erupted between protesters and Israeli forces during a pro-Gaza demonstration in the West Bank city of Hebron, eyewitnesses said.
No casualties have been reported thus far.
Protesters also staged a march – organized by Gaza-based resistance faction Hamas – in central Ramallah, eyewitnesses said.
Protesters shouted slogans calling for retaliation against Israel, as the Palestinian death toll in the Gaza Strip reached over 260, mostly civilians.
The Ramallah-based Fatah movement also organized a march in the western town of Beitunia, while the Palestinian Factions Coordination Committee organized a demonstration in the northern city of Nablus.
Protesters also staged a march in the northern town of Jenin, according to witnesses.
At least 266 Palestinians have been killed – and more than 1970 injured, many seriously – since Israel launched its offensive on July 7 with the ostensible aim of halting rocket fire from Gaza.
Over the same period, only one Israeli has been killed as a result of Palestinian rocket fire.
On Thursday, the Israeli army stepped up its offensive to include ground operations, sending troops into the Gaza Strip.
The ongoing offensive, dubbed "Operation Protective Edge," is the self-proclaimed Jewish state's third major assault on the embattled coastal enclave – which is home to some 1.8 million Palestinians – in the last six years.
By Qais Abu Samra
englishnews@aa.com.tr
www.aa.com.tr/en
