Ra'ed Ya'coub Hammoudeh, 30 years old, from Al Bireh, married with two children, died today as a result of injuries sustained 4 days ago. Ra'ed was shot in the head with live ammunition and remained in critical condition for four days until his death today. He will be burried tomorrow morning in Al Bireh.
Clashes erupted this afternoon in a number of cities in the West Bank and Gaza following mass protest rallies against Israeli aggression and the severe restrictions placed on all Palestinian areas during the past week. The majority of Palestinian villages and cities within the West Bank and Gaza remain under an internal closure for the fourth consecutive day, prohibiting thousands of Palestinians from reaching their place of work and children from reaching their schools.
A strict Israeli imposed curfew has been placed on the city of Huwarra near Nablus. Jenin has been declared a closed military zone by the Israeli authorities. The Israeli controlled areas of Hebron remain under Isreali-imposed curfew for the 16th consecutive day.
Armed confrontations took place for two hours late this evening in the village of Arraba, Jenin after under cover Israeli units were discovered in the village, following which Israeli military patrols attempted to enter the area. No injuries have been reported.
Clahes took place this afternoon near Rachel's Tomb and Al Khader in Bethlehem, with at least 10 injuries reported, 2 of which are from live ammunition. Clashes also took place near Kalandia refugee camp this afternoon. It is not know if any injuries were sustained.
Following mass protest rallies in Ramallah, clashes erupted on the northern entrance of the city. At least 4 injuries from live ammunition have been reported thus far. Ramallah Hospital reported today that Nasser Abdel Haleq, from Jenin and Jamal Awwad, who was attacked and severly beaten by Israeli settlers while driving his car on the outskirts of Ramallah earlier this week, have been transfered to hospitals in Jordan for immediate medical treatment. They have been in critical condition for the past week.
The Temple Mount and Land of Israel Faithful Movement, an extremist Jewish group committed to destroying the Aqsa Mosque and Dome of the Rock at the Haram al-Sharif in Jerusalem, has announced its intention to march on the Haram on Monday and lay the cornerstone for a Third Jewish Temple tomorrow morning, 16 October at 9:00am. Following this, religious ceremonies are planned to take place in the area of Silwan, an unprecedented and provocative action as these ceremonies are normally held outside of East Jerusalem.
In their statement, the Temple Mount Faithful
state that "the event has the approval of the
Israeli authorities and will be protected by the
Israeli security forces." Israeli evening news
reported this evening that Israeli Police have
stated that the group does not have a permit for
the activity. (Full text of the announcement and
an appeal to protest this action can be found at
http://www.addameer.org/september2000/actions/letters.html).