Man Died in Gaza amid Clashes between Palestinian Protesters and Israeli Forces

One man died and dozens more were injured Friday as Israeli forces and Palestinian demonstrators clashed in Gaza and the West Bank during protests to mark Land Day, Palestinian medical sources said.

Protesters hurled rocks as Israeli forces fired rubber bullets, stun grenades and tear gas at the Qalandia checkpoint, separating the West Bank from Jerusalem.

Seventeen Palestinians were injured during the protest, said the head of the Ramallah medical complex, Dr. Ahmad Bitawi. He said they had sustained moderate injuries from tear gas and rubber bullets.

In Gaza, one man died of his injuries, and 37 people were hurt, two of them critically, in incidents around Beit Hanoun and Khan Yunis, medical sources said.

To be mentioned that, Palestinians hold Land Day rallies every year to commemorate the death of six demonstrators in 1976. The rallies have become an annual expression of what Palestinians consider discriminatory Israeli policies.

This year, Land Day organizers have called for protests inside Israel, in the Palestinian territories, and in neighboring Egypt, Lebanon and Jordan, as CNN stated.

Rallying under the slogan of a global march to Jerusalem, protest organizers have called for “freedom for Jerusalem and its people.”

Israeli forces were placed on high alert as Palestinians and Arabs gathered to observe the day.