Over 40 Palestinians Injured in Clashes With Israeli Soldiers in West Bank – Red Crescent

GAZA/TEL AVIV (Sputnik) – More than 40 Palestinians were injured on Friday in clashes with Israeli soldiers in the West Bank, the Palestinian Red Crescent said.

"44 Palestinians have been injured today in clashes with Israeli soldiers in the districts of Beita and Bayt Dajan near the city of Nablus in the West Bank," the Red Crescent said in a statement on late Friday.

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) told Sputnik that the clashes erupted near the settlement of Rehelim south of Nablus after a group of Palestinians entered here without preliminary notification.

"IDF soldiers have been sent to the site to disperse the crowd until the arrival of the Israeli police," the military said.

The IDF also said that two Palestinians had planted an explosive device to target the border fence that separates Israel from the Gaza Strip to illegally enter the Israeli territory.

"Today in the evening, the IDF patrol spotted two suspects who tried to cross the border fence in southern Gaza Strip. They planted an explosive device that exploded soon after that," the IDF said in a statement.

The two Palestinians have been detained.

The relations between Israel and Palestine have been shattered for decades. Palestinians seek diplomatic recognition for their independent state on the territories of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, which is partially occupied by Israel, and the Gaza Strip.

The Israeli government refuses to recognize Palestine as an independent political and diplomatic entity, and builds settlements in the occupied areas, despite objections from the United Nations.