Israeli occupation forces open fire on Palestinian farmers, attack hundreds Palestinian worshipers

OCCUPIED AL-QUDS, (ST)_Israeli occupation forces opened on Sunday fire at Palestinian farmers in Khan Yunis to the south of the besieged Gaza strip, according to Ma’an news agency.

The agency reported that the farmers were forced to leave their lands after the Israeli occupation forces’ attack on them.

Yesterday, Israeli settlers torched dozens of olive trees in the town of Beit Fajjar, south of the southern West Bank city of Bethlehem, according to a local official.

Hasan Breijieh, director of the Wall and Settlement Resistance Authority’s office in Bethlehem, said a group of settlers sneaked into  privately-owned Palestinian land planted with olive trees in an area north of Beit Fajjar and set the trees on fire.

He said at least 50 trees were burnt, causing serious damage to an important income-generating business for the landowner.

In another development, Israeli occupation police last night attacked hundreds of Palestinian worshipers as they were leaving the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound via Damascus Gate in the occupied capital Jerusalem, injured nine of them and detained one, according to witnesses.

The Israeli police has banned all gatherings at the Damascus Gate area since the beginning of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan five days ago, while at the same time allowing gatherings for Israeli settlers in other areas of the holy city, WAFA reported

The Damascus Gate area, which leads to the Old City of Jerusalem and the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, has been a scene of frequent clashes with the Israeli police since the beginning of Ramadan, due to the multiple restrictions enforced on the entry of Palestinian worshipers to the Mosque by the Israeli occupation authorities.

Basma Qaddour