RAMALLAH
Five Palestinians were injured by Israeli gunfire in the occupied West Bank on Friday.
"The five were injured by live ammunition when Israeli forces moved in to disperse weekly protests in western Nablus," one eyewitness told Anadolu Agency.
Scores of protesters also suffered temporary asphyxiation as a result of teargas fired by Israeli troops, according to eyewitnesses.
Israeli forces dispersed Palestinian rallies in several other West Bank villages as well, according to a statement by the Popular Resistance Committee against Settlements, a Palestinian NGO.
Friday's rallies come amid an ongoing Israeli air offensive against the Gaza Strip, which has left at least 100 Palestinians dead and hundreds injured since it began late Monday.
Israel claims the offensive is meant to halt rocket fire emanating from the embattled coastal strip, which is home to some 1.8 million Palestinians.
By Qais Abu Samra
www.aa.com.tr/en
