Four Palestinians Killed in Friday Protests Buried

The funeral of four Palestinians who were killed on Friday in clashes with Israeli forces in the West Bank and Gaza turned into a scene of protests and marches against Israel and the United States on Saturday, December 16. The most anger was expressed during the funeral of a disabled man who was killed on Friday near the Gaza-Israel border. In the clashes on Friday, which was the second Friday after Donald Trump's announcement recognizing Jerusalem as 'Israel's capital,' four Palestinians were killed, and Palestinian hospital sources reported about 900 injuries, with more than 200 of them transferred to hospitals. On Saturday, the funerals of two of the four killed were held in Ramallah and the Aida refugee camp in the West Bank, while the funerals of the other two were held in Gaza. Ismail Haniyeh, head of Hamas's political bureau, attended the funeral of Ibrahim Abu Thuraya and described the killing of this disabled man as an 'unforgivable mistake,' stating, 'He is a martyr not of the same lineage as other martyrs; his martyrdom is of a different kind; news of his death has reached all corners of the world.' Ibrahim Abu Thuraya, 29, was a well-known Palestinian activist who had lost both of his legs during the 2008 war between the Israeli army and Hamas and was always present at protests against the Gaza-Israel border fence, often dragging himself on the ground or appearing in a wheelchair. He participated in the second Friday of rage protests near the Gaza border, and photographers from international news agencies had published many photos and videos of him in the early hours of the protests. However, at the height of the violence during the protests on Friday evening, Ibrahim Abu Thuraya was shot and wounded in his wheelchair and died while other protesters carried his bleeding body. Palestinians stated that an Israeli sniper shot him in the head; however, an Israeli army spokesperson said that the rules of engagement allow shooting at the lower body of those who are 'the main instigators' of such violence. The Israeli army has stated that further investigations will be conducted regarding the shooting of Ibrahim Abu Thuraya. However, the publication of images of Ibrahim Abu Thuraya's injury and death in the arms of other Palestinians immediately spread on Palestinian social media as a 'murder' and intensified the anger of Gazans against Israel. The Israeli newspaper Jerusalem Post reported on Saturday, citing Gazans, that Ibrahim Abu Thuraya's death was like pouring oil on the fire of the people of Gaza. Ismail Haniyeh, personally attending Ibrahim Abu Thuraya's funeral, strongly condemned the United States for a decision made two weeks ago that led to the recent protests, stating, 'No entity in the world can change the truth of the Palestinians and Jerusalem, which solely belongs to the Palestinians,' adding, 'Jerusalem has been the graveyard of conspirators throughout history and will be so again this time.' Another victim of the second Friday of rage was Muhammad Amin Aql, a young Palestinian in Ramallah, who injured an Israeli security force member with a knife from a location where dozens of journalists and photographers were standing in front of Israeli soldiers. An Israeli army spokesperson had stated that Muhammad Amin Aql also had an explosive belt; however, news agencies quoted a doctor from the Palestinian Red Crescent who said that when transferring the injured person in a Palestinian Red Crescent ambulance, it was discovered that Muhammad Amin Aql's explosive belt was not real. Hospital sources in Ramallah reported on Friday evening that Muhammad Amin Aql died from the severity of his injuries. The escalation of violence on Friday occurred while protests in the first 10 days following Donald Trump's announcement had resulted in four deaths, and the scale of the clashes during these 10 days was less than what Palestinian organizations had anticipated.