Thousands of Palestinians protest today to open Shuhada street in Hebron

Five Palestinians got arrested today Friday, and more than thirteen were injured during the demonstration 'We can by our unity', which Youth Against Settlements called for, in the memorial of the 20th year for the Ibrahimi massacre.The Demonstration started in the Ali-Bakka mosque and continued towards the eastern entrance to Shuhada street. Around two thousand demonstrators participated in this demonstration besides the governor of Hebron, Kamel Hmeid, a member of the legislative council, Mustafa Bargouthi, and representatives of the Islamic and national parties in the city of Hebron.The Israeli occupation forces confronted brutally with the demonstration. When the protestors reached the entrance of Shuhada the soldiers started to fire many stun and gas grenades towards the participants, and they physically attacked many of them. During these clashes the Israeli occupation forces arrested 5 Palestinians. The coordinator of Youth Against settlements, Issa Amro, stated that the army chased the demonstrators all the way to Bab-Alzawya area, in the center of the city while firing rubber bullets toward the demonstrators, which lead to at least thirteen people getting injured.Several ambulances were seen carrying the injured to the hospitals, while many volunteers of the Red Crescent were providing first aids to the participants who were suffocated because of the tear gas.The participants in the demonstration asked for the reopening of the street which has been closed to Palestinians for many years, and condemned the apartheid separation policy that the Israeli forces implement against the Palestinians in the middle of the city, and in the areas which are under the Israeli control. They also called for the international community to put pressure on the Israeli government to open Shuhada street and all the other closed streets and shops.The democratic front said that her office member Majidah Almasri suffered from suffocation due to the tear gas that was fired by the Israeli forces on the demonstration. Some local sources mentioned that Tamer Al-Atrash, Issa Amro, Mohammad Zoughayer, Farid Al-Atrash and Ahmad Zhur were attacked by the Israeli forces, and Badia Dwaik was one of the people who got arrested. This demonstration comes amidst an international campaign to open Shuhada Street, which is organized annually in the memorial of the Ibrahimi Mosque massacre. Youth Against settlements organized more than 45 different activities worldwide, and it is expected for 75 different activities to take place in different parts of the world today in solidarity with Hebron."