Palestinian teen loses his eye after being shot by Israeli occupation forces in occupied West Bank

(MENAFN - Palestine News Network) 91 Views Hebron /PNN/ A 13-year-old Palestinian boy has lost his eye after he was hit with a rubber-coated steel bullet fired by Israeli military forces during a protest against Israel's illegal settlement expansion and land expropriation policies. Palestinian medical sources said Ezzedine Nedal al-Batsh was struck in the right eye before being rushed to a hospital in the southern occupied West Bank city of Hebron, located 30 kilometers (19 miles) south of Jerusalem, on Friday. The wounded teenager's father, Nedal, told local media that his son was hit just as he was in a shop in the Bab az-Zawiya neighborhood of the city. Nedal added clashes were taking place between Israeli forces and a group of Palestinian protesters at the time, emphasizing Ezzedine was not involved in the incident. The Palestinian man noted that the Israeli soldiers indiscriminately fired shots, tear gas canisters as well as stun grenades, many of which struck nearby stores and residential buildings. Palestinians and Jewish activists have been holding weekly protests across the West Bank every Friday to condemn Israel's land expropriation and home demolition policies besides threatened evictions. Israeli troops use live ammunition against the demonstrators to disperse them. A number of Palestinians sustain gunshot wounds a result, while others suffer breathing difficulties as troops use tear gas during the clashes.MENAFN10042021000205011050ID1101893601