Palestinians throw Molotov cocktail at IDF checkpoint in Hebron

Palestinian Authority police fire tear gas at pro-Hamas demonstration in West Bank city.

By KHALED ABU TOAMEH, TOVAH LAZAROFF
IDF checkpoint catches fire after fire bomb attack. (photo credit: JEWISH COMMUNITY OF HEBRON)
IDF checkpoint catches fire after fire bomb attack.
(photo credit: JEWISH COMMUNITY OF HEBRON)
Palestinian Authority policemen in Hebron fired tear gas to disperse hundreds of Palestinian demonstrators protesting against the war in the Gaza Strip on Friday.
Witnesses said several protesters were injured during the protest, most of them from gas inhalation.
Some of the protesters shouted “spies, collaborators” at the Palestinian policemen, who tried to stop them from marching toward IDF soldiers and Jewish homes in the Old City of Hebron.
The protest came after Hamas called on Palestinians in the West Bank to take to the streets following Friday prayers to protest against the ongoing Israeli military operation in the Gaza Strip.
On Friday, the IDF arrested Bassem al-Za’areer, a Hamas legislator from the village of Samua, near Hebron, sources in the village said.
Earlier on Friday, the IDF clashed with Palestinian activists in Hebron during a routine patrol outside the Policeman’s Checkpoint in the city when a Molotov cocktail thrown by Palestinians struck the checkpoint, causing it to burst into flames.
The checkpoint is a Palestinian pedestrian crossing point between the section of the West Bank city under Israeli military and civil control and areas of the city controlled by the Palestinian Authority.
The busy commercial streets located just outside the checkpoint on the Palestinian side are often a flash point for violence between Palestinians and IDF soldiers who patrol that area.
Soldiers responded with warning shots at the activists.