Over 70 children among hundreds of Palestinians injured by Israeli forces in West Bank

More than 500 Palestinians, including over 70 children, were wounded as a result of attacks by Israeli armed forces over the past two weeks in the West Bank, a UN report has revealed.

A biweekly report published by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said 568 people, amongst them 73 children, were injured in assaults carried out by Israeli authorities.

It said out of those, 320 were wounded during demonstrations against Israeli settlement activities in the Nablus district.

Despite being illegal under international law, Israel has insisted that it will keep building settlements in the West Bank, large areas of which fall under its control.

Almost half a million people live in these settlements, alongside 2.8 million Palestinians.

Breaking down the causes of injuries, the OCHA report said six of the recorded injuries were a result of live ammunition, 138 by rubber bullets, three were physically assaulted or hit with tear gas canisters, and the rest were treated for tear gas inhalation.

Another 46 people – in addition to the 568 wounded – were also injured trying to escape Israeli forces.

The report goes on to say that at least 55 pupils and teachers were teargassed by Israeli forces in six schools in Hebron and elsewhere in the region. A few cases required hospitalisation.

Several protesters have been killed and hundreds wounded in clashes with the Israeli security forces since May.

In the latest fatal incident, a 27-year-old Palestinian was shot dead by Israeli troops Friday when clashes broke out on the sidelines of a demonstration in the West Bank town of Beita.

Beita residents have been demonstrating since May against the wildcat Jewish settlement outpost of Eviatar set up nearby without Israeli permission.

The outpost was evacuated in early July but Israeli army troops remain stationed there while authorities deliberate on its fate.

If the settlement is approved, its founders will be allowed to take up residence more permanently.