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Israelis attack Palestinian funeral

15 May 2011 05:05 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. Israeli troops have attacked the funeral of a Palestinian teen in the West Bank, APA reports quoting Press TV.

On Saturday, Israeli soldiers fired tear gas to disperse mourners attending the funeral ceremony in Ras al-Amud, East al-Quds (Jerusalem), the Associated Press reported.

Milad Said Ayyash, 16, was shot in the stomach by Israeli forces in the Silwan neighborhood on Friday and died of his injuries overnight.

Carrying Palestinian flags, the mourners chanted "Allahu Akbar" (God is greatest) and "With our blood and our soul, we shall sacrifice for the martyr," as they marched to the al-Aqsa mosque in the Old City.

Israeli forces have been on high alert as Palestinians prepare to commemorate the 63rd anniversary of the Israeli occupation of Palestine and the expulsion of more than 700,000 Palestinians from their homeland in 1948, which they call the Nakba (the catastrophe).

On Friday, protests were held in al-Quds and other major West Bank cities, including al-Khalil (Hebron), Issawiya, al-Tur, and Ras al-Amud.

Thousands of Israeli troops have been deployed across the West Bank, especially in al-Quds, to prevent any possible outbreak of violence in the run-up to Sunday’s commemoration of the Nakba.

Israeli police said around 8,000 worshippers turned up for the Friday prayers at the al-Aqsa Mosque compound -- the third holiest site in Islam.

Hundreds more were left outside the gates as police blocked entry to men under 45 who did not hold a blue Israeli identity card.

Meanwhile, 50,000 Lebanese plan to march to the border with Palestine to mark the anniversary of the Nakba.