4 Injured at prisoners rally near Ramallah

Four Palestinians were injured during clashes with Israeli forces near Ofer jail at a demonstration in support of hunger-striking prisoners, medics told Ma'an. Activist Tayseer Arabsha was moderately wounded after being hit in the head by a rubber bullet, Palestinian Red Crescent officials said. Three others were lightly injured by rubber bullets, they added. Protesters gathered near the Ramallah-district military jail to show solidarity with Palestinian prisoners on hunger-strike in Israel jails. Israeli forces also fired tear gas, sound grenades and waste water to disperse the demonstrators, witnesses said. An Israeli army spokeswoman said she was not familiar with the use of rubber bullets by forces dispersing the protest. A wave of hunger-strike by Palestinians jailed in Israel peaked two weeks ago, when over a thousand detainees joined long-term hunger-strikers on Palestinian Prisoners Day. Prisoners groups estimate 2,000 detainees are now refusing food in a bid to improve their conditions.