Three Killed and 60 Injured in Ongoing Protests in the West Bank

Violence on Friday, August 16, between Palestinians and Israelis resulted in the deaths of three Palestinian Arabs and one Israeli, with over 60 others injured, amid heightened tensions and a security atmosphere in East Jerusalem after the closure of Al-Aqsa Mosque. According to reports, thousands of Palestinians residing in Gaza protested along the borders of the strip with Israel for the twenty-first consecutive Friday, in what they called a revolutionary defense of Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa. The widespread marches and clashes between demonstrators and Israeli soldiers stationed at the borders left two dead. The Associated Press reported that Israeli soldiers used live ammunition in addition to tear gas to repel Palestinians who were throwing burning tires at the border fence. An Israeli army spokesperson stated that demonstrators were throwing homemade bombs and explosives at the border wall, and the firing was conducted 'based on military criteria of danger.' Israeli media reported that a 30-year-old Arab man from Umm al-Fahm, an Arab-populated area in northern Israel, attacked Israeli soldiers with a knife near Al-Aqsa Mosque but was killed before injuring anyone. Israeli security forces released footage of the moments of the knife attack and the response to it, taken from multiple cameras monitoring the movement of people in that part of Jerusalem. Following this incident, Israeli security forces closed Al-Aqsa Mosque; however, this restriction appears to be temporary. The previous Friday also saw the twentieth protest march by Palestinians, resulting in three deaths and over 300 injuries. Since April 10, when a series of protests by Palestinians began coinciding with 'Land Day,' a total of 168 Palestinians have been killed and over 17,000 injured, including 128 fatalities among demonstrators at the protests. Despite this, Hamas confirmed on Friday that there has been 'progress' in negotiations for a ceasefire with Israel mediated by Egypt. A Hamas delegation in Cairo continues discussions with senior Egyptian intelligence officials to finalize the ceasefire. A Hamas spokesperson stated that work on the details of the ceasefire agreement has reached the 'final sentences.' A senior Egyptian security official also confirmed to Reuters that Cairo is 'finalizing' the agreement. As part of Egypt's efforts to establish a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, General Abbas Kamel, head of Egypt's intelligence agency, visited Israel last Thursday to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and several senior security officials. According to Reuters, Abbas Kamel also intended to meet with Mahmoud Abbas, the leader of Fatah and head of the Palestinian Authority, but left the West Bank without meeting him despite going to Ramallah. The Fatah movement is very displeased with Hamas's indirect negotiations with Israel, considering it 'treason.' On the other hand, as discussions about the ceasefire progress, Israel has opened its main land crossing with Gaza since last week, and in the past four days, hundreds of trucks and tankers have been entering Gaza daily with food, flour, construction materials, and fuel. Despite this, there is widespread skepticism on both sides regarding the sustainability of the ceasefire and calm.