Several hundreds of Palestinians protested on Tuesday (October 13) at the border area between Israel and Gaza in the wake of a series of street attacks in Jerusalem and near Tel Aviv on a “Day of Rage” declared by Palestinian groups.
Protesters waved flags belonging to different Palestinian political parties as they marched towards the border with Israel. Israeli forces threw tear gas canisters to disperse the crowd. At least 14 demonstrators were overcome by tear gas, Palestinian medical officials said.
Hamas Spokesperson In Gaza, Sami Abu Zuhri, praised the recent violence and called for the uprising to continue.
“Hamas praises the heroic acts in the West Bank and Jerusalem and confirms that the increase in these operations is evidence that this Intifada (uprising) cannot be stopped, it is the Intifada of Jerusalem. It is a strong message to the Israeli occupation because of its crimes in Al-aqsa mosque,” said Sami Abu Zuhri.
In Gaza city, all commercial shops were shut after political parties called for a general commercial strike across the region.
Six Israelis and 27 Palestinians, including nine alleged attackers and eight children, have died in almost two weeks of street attacks and security crackdowns.
The violence has been stirred in part by Muslim anger over increasing Jewish visits to the al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem.
The main Palestinian factions, including the Western-backed Fatah movement and the militant Hamas group, declared a “Day of Rage” on Tuesday across the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem.
The leaders of Israel’s Arab community have called for a commercial strike in their towns and villages.
The now-daily stabbings have raised speculation that Palestinians could be embarking on another uprising or intifada, reflecting a new generation’s frustrations over their veteran leadership’s failure to achieve statehood.
Israel has poured police reinforcements into Jerusalem, where many of the stabbings have occurred. (Reuters)