Israeli security forces on October 25, Friday, injured 95 Palestinians during the weekly Great March of Return protests in Gaza. The injured include 43 children, 1 woman, 2 paramedics and 1 journalist. Friday was the 80th week of the largely peaceful protests along the Gaza-Israel border.
The protests this Friday were significant because the protesters also expressed their solidarity with the thousands of prisoners and administrative detainees languishing in Israeli prisons and detention centers. The protesters also condemned the Jewish settler invasions of the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem in recent months, as well as the brutal crackdown of Palestinians protesting these invasions.
Demonstrations took place in many places in Gaza. At least 36 of those injured were attacked with live bullets and shrapnel while the rest were wounded by rubber-coated metal bullets and tear gas cannisters.
The protesters waved Palestinian flags and chanted slogans during the demonstrations. Theatrical performances and speeches were also part of the protests. Some of the protesters threw stones, molotov cocktails and firecrackers at the border, while others set fire to tires as a sign of protest.
The protests are seeking an end to the 13-year blockade of the Gaza strip by Israel and Egypt, as well the implementation of the right of return of Palestinian refugees from Gaza who were expelled in 1948 during the founding of the state of Israel.
The weekly protests began on March 30, 2018. Israeli forces have killed 334 Palestinians and injured more than 32,000 during the protests
