Israeli occupation soldiers attack anti-Apartheid-Wall protestors, injuring seven of them in Ni'lin, one of them in serious condition

Seven wounded in Ni'lin protests, one of them seriously

[ 22/08/2008 - 11:57 AM ]

RAMALLAH, (PIC)--

Israeli occupation soldiers attacked anti-apartheid-wall protestors injuring seven of them on Thursday afternoon in the village of Ni'lin to the west of Ramallah, according to Palestinian medical sources.

One of the casualties is in a serious condition, and all the wounded were being treated in Ramallah hospitals.

Twenty-year-old Haytham Ulayan was hit with a rubber-coated bullet in the head fired from a close range casing him a serious injury.

The village of Ni'lin has been, over the past few weeks, the scene of anti-wall demonstrations by Palestinian activists as well as international supporters to protest the confiscation of the village's lands to be used for building the apartheid wall to the west and the south of the village.

Eyewitnesses said that after Thursday's peaceful protest, Israeli occupation forces (IOF) raided the village and opened fire randomly towards, to which the local youth responded by hurling stones and empty bottles at the occupation military vehicles.

The IOF troops fired tens of tear-gas canisters at the people in the streets and at their homes resulting in tens of cases of suffocation, according to local sources in the village.

The village, which has lost about 3000 dunums (740 acres) of its agricultural land to the apartheid wall, has been the scene of semi-daily protest as farming is the main source of income for most residents of the village.