Protests against Trump declaration met with violence across Palestine

Thousands protest President Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Israeli forces kill at least one and critically wound another. Hundreds more are wounded by live fire, rubber bullets, and tear gas.

By +972 Magazine

A wounded Palestinian is carried on a stretcher during clashes with Israeli security forces on the Israeli-Gaza border, Khan Yunis, Gaza Strip, December 8, 2017. (Abed Rahim Khatib/Flash90)
A wounded Palestinian is carried on a stretcher during clashes with Israeli security forces on the Israeli-Gaza border, Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, December 8, 2017. (Abed Rahim Khatib/Flash90)

Israeli forces killed at least one Palestinian and wounded hundreds of others in clashes across the occupied territories on Friday. There were no reports of Israeli injuries at the time of writing.

Mahmoud Al-Masri, 30, was killed in clashes on the border area of Khan Younis in the Gaza Strip during a demonstration in response to President Donald Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. A second man, also wounded by IDF fire in Gaza, was in critical condition. The Israeli military said in a statement that soldiers had “fired selectively at two main instigators” of the “violent riots.”

Several thousand Palestinian demonstrated in the West Bank and Gaza, including in Jerusalem, Ramallah, Rafah, Hebron, Khan Younis, Jabaliya, and Nablus, after Palestinian factions called for a “Day of Rage.” Dozens were arrested by Israeli security forces, as protestors threw Molotov cocktails and rocks, while burning Israeli and U.S. flags, and stomping on posters of the U.S. president.

Palestinians burn a photo of U.S. President Donald Trump during a protest against the decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, Rafah, Gaza Strip, December 8, 2017. (Abed Rahim Khatib/Flash90)
Palestinians burn a photo of U.S. President Donald Trump during a protest against the decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, Rafah, Gaza Strip, December 8, 2017. (Abed Rahim Khatib/Flash90)

In Jerusalem, clashes broke out between Palestinian worshippers at Damascus Gate, after tens of thousands attended Friday noon prayers at Al-Aqsa Mosque. Protests were also held in the Israeli cities of Umm al-Fahm, Kalansaua and Kafr Kana. One man was arrested on suspicion of throwing rocks in the city of Nazareth, where a protest was also held, according to Haaretz.

Meanwhile on Friday, Palestinian militants fired three rockets at Israel from the Gaza Strip on Friday night. The first rocket was intercepted by Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system. A short while later a second rocket launch was identified, however it is not currently known where the rocket landed, while the third rocket exploded in the southern Israeli city of Sderot.

Israeli Police arrest a Palestinian protester at Damascus Gate in the Old City of Jerusalem, following U.S. President Donald Trump's announcement to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, December 8, 2017. (Hadas Parush/Flash90)
Israeli Police arrest a Palestinian protester at Damascus Gate in the Old City of Jerusalem, following U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, December 8, 2017. (Hadas Parush/Flash90)

In retaliation, the Israeli Air Force reportedly attacked a Hamas training compound and arms warehouse in Gaza, wounding 25, including children, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.