Dozens of Palestinians reported wounded in Hebron clash

Dozens of Palestinian protesters were wounded as rioters threw stones and Molotov cocktails in a major clash with Israeli security forces in the West Bank city of Hebron Tuesday afternoon, Palestinian media reported.

At least 10 people were shot during the clashes that broke out when hundreds of Palestinians took to the streets protesting Israel’s refusal to return the bodies of 11 Palestinian attackers shot dead by security forces this month, according to the reports.

Several more were treated for tear gas inhalation and other injuries, according to Palestinian news agency Ma’an.

An IDF spokeswoman said the protest devolved into a violent riot when demonstrators began throwing rocks and firebombs at Israeli forces in the area.

The IDF said its forces were using riot dispersal measures, including using tear gas and rubber bullets, to subdue protests.

However, Palestinians claimed live fire was used as well.

Earlier on Tuesday, a joint statement issued by various Palestinian factions in the area called for a “rally of anger” and urged residents to join the protest “in solidarity with the families of Hebron’s martyrs,” the Palestinian Ma’an News reported.

Also on Tuesday, in the Palestinian village of Beit Anun east of the Jewish settlement of Kiryat Arba, some 200 protesters hurled firebombs and rocks at Israeli security forces, while another 300 protesters clashed with IDF and Border Police officer in central Hebron.

On Monday, an Israeli soldier was stabbed and seriously wounded in an attack near the entrance of Beit Anun. The soldier suffered a stab wound to his neck and was evacuated to a Jerusalem hospital in serious condition.

Over a dozen stabbing attacks against Israeli soldiers and civilians have taken place in and around Hebron in recent weeks, with many of the attackers being killed.

Earlier this month, the security cabinet of top government ministers decided that bodies of Palestinians shot dead by Israeli security forces while perpetrating attacks on Israelis civilians would no longer be returned to their families.

The decision, which was part of a number of broader operational initiatives aimed at providing additional security for Israeli civilians, was an effort to curb the protests that often accompany the funerals of Palestinians killed by Israeli security forces.

Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan who proposed the measure, told the cabinet that funerals of Palestinian assailants turned into “a demonstration of support for terrorism and incitement to murder.”

“We cannot allow this. We must do everything so that the terrorist is not honored for carrying out an attack,” he said.