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Israeli forces injure over a dozen Palestinians in the occupied West Bank

At least 16 Palestinians have been injured as Israeli forces fired rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse a protest in the occupied West Bank, according to eyewitnesses.

AP

Palestinian protesters during a protest against Israeli settlements, in the occupied West Bank village of Deir Jarir, north of Ramallah, January 1, 2021.

A Palestinian man has been paralysed from the neck down after being shot by an Israeli soldier during clashes in the occupied West Bank.

The man was shot through the neck, Palestinian health ministry said in a statement.

Palestinian sources had earlier reported the wounding of 24-year-old Haroun Rasmi Abu Aram in the village of Al Tuwanah, south of Hebron.

The man had been attempting to prevent the troops from "stealing an electric generator" that belonged to him, according to the Palestinian news agency WAFA.

Israeli rights group B'Tselem said Abu Aram was helping a neighbour to build a house at the time of the shooting.

The Israel Defense Forces told AFP that a number of Palestinians had attacked its troops who were conducting a routine operation to evacuate an "illegal building" and had fired into the air in response.

An investigation into the incident was under way, the IDF added.

16 Palestinians injured by Israeli forces

Meanwhile, at least 16 Palestinians were injured on Friday as Israeli forces fired rubber bullets and tear gas shells to disperse a protest in the occupied West Bank, according to eyewitnesses.

The protest was held against Israeli settlements in Deir Jarir, Ramallah city.

The army used a drone to throw dozens of tear gas canisters at the protesters.

On December 23, settlers began establishing a settlement outpost in the Sharafat mountain area in the village of Deir Jarir by installing equipment and tents on the top of the mountain under the protection of the Israeli army.

More than 400,000 Jewish settlers currently live in more than 250 illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank.

International law views both the West Bank and East Jerusalem as "occupied territories" and considers all Jewish settlement-building activities there as illegal.

Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967 and its settlements in the area are regarded as illegal by much of the international community.

But the settler population has grown in recent years.

There are currently some 450,000 Jewish settlers in the West Bank, living among an estimated 2.8 million Palestinians.

Tensions between the two communities have repeatedly led to violence.

SOURCE: TRTWorld and agencies