On November 5th, Israeli forces injured more than 20 Palestinians during a demonstration against Tel-Aviv’s decade-long maritime blockade on Gaza.
Palestinians organized a protest in support of a new flotilla titled “Freedom Ship 15” that set sail from the port of Gaza in an attempt to go through the Israeli maritime blockage. Israeli forces fired tear gas and live ammunition at the crowd.
PressTV reported that approximately 40 fishing boats joined the flotilla, organized by Gaza’s National Committee for Breaking the Siege. The flotilla sailed to the northern coastal border of the Gaza Strip, however it was reportedly forced ashore by Israeli forces.
Those injured were transferred to the Indonesian and al-Shifa hospitals to receive the necessary medical treatment; their conditions were reported as moderate.
There has been frequent bloodshed during the weekly Palestinian protests titled “The Great March of Return” that began on March 30th. Palestinian protesters demand the right to return for those driven out of their homeland.
Organizers of the November 5th protest said that “the march of return will not stop until the fulfillment of all its goals, first and foremost the lifting of the siege completely from the Gaza Strip and end the suffering of two million besieged Palestinians.”
The committee stressed that the marches are organized, in order to “secure all basic human rights for the Palestinian people, including freedom, self-determination, and the right to establish an independent Palestinian state with occupied East Jerusalem as its capital.”
Image: maannews.com
Image: maannews.com
The Gaza clashes reached their peak on May 14, on the eve of the 70th anniversary of Nakba Day (Day of Catastrophe), which coincided this year with the US embassy relocation from Tel-Aviv to Jerusalem, after Donald Trump announced that US recognizes Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
More than 180 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces during the almost-7 months the protests have been taking place. Also, nearly 20,000 Palestinians have also sustained injuries.
The Palestinians are being pressured from every direction in recent months, with both Israel and the US attempting to force them into a two-state solution that doesn’t cater to their interest.
Hawks in the Israeli leadership such as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman continue supporting the idea that a large-scale intervention in Gaza and the dealing of a “crushing blow” to Hamas is a necessary prerequisite for any lasting peace.
