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22 Dec, 2017 22:43

2 Palestinians killed, dozens injured amid escalating rage over US Jerusalem move (VIDEOS)

At least two Palestinians were shot dead by Israeli troops as another ‘Day of Rage’ drew thousands across the region. The situation remains “extremely volatile,” RT journalists reported from the scene of fierce clashes.

The fatalities in the latest clashes were reported from the southern Gaza Strip, according to Reuters citing a spokesman for the Palestinian health ministry. The Palestinians were killed in Israeli gunfire, he said, adding that around 120 more were injured by live ammunition and rubber bullets.

Some 2,000 Palestinians protested at the Gaza border fence with Israel to express anger over the US decision on the contested holy city, according to numbers provided by the Israeli military. In the West Bank, about 1,700 demonstrators faced off with Israeli forces.

During the latest ‘Day of Rage,’ protesters burnt tires, threw rocks and confronted Israeli forces in all of the occupied West Bank’s seven cities and in East Jerusalem. Fierce clashes also erupted on the streets of Bethlehem, the biblical birthplace of Jesus, just two days before the Christmas celebrations.

The situation is “extremely volatile” in the West Bank, RT’s Paula Slier said, reporting from the Israeli settlement of Beit El. Slier and her crew had to take cover at a petrol station, with Israeli soldiers shooting live rounds and rubber bullets, as well as firing stun grenades and tear gas at Palestinian protesters nearby. Several ambulances with sirens blaring could be seen and heard, as Israeli armoured vehicles rolled into the area.

“We will not stop these protests. They are taking our land and Arab countries are doing nothing,” one demonstrator told RT.

Reporting for RT, Gaza journalist Hind Khoudary also witnessed just how tense the situation is with live bullets fired to disperse hundreds of protesters. “People were very close to the fence this time,” she reported from Nahal Oz in southern Israel, adding, that political leaders and activists joined the civilians during today's protest.

Daily demonstrations, regularly resulting in violent clashes, have been staged since Donald Trump’s announcement recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, with at least ten Palestinians killed and dozens injured by Israeli forces, according to Palestinian health officials. There’s been no Israeli fatalities or significant injuries.

“The fact that live ammunition has been used during protests in Gaza and the West Bank is particularly shocking,” Amnesty International said Friday, calling on Israeli authorities to stop using “excessive force.”

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