PA forces assault civilians in a funeral of a boy who was killed by the Israeli army near Ramallah

Monday August 04, 2008 16:20 by Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC News

Palestinian Security forces loyal to the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah attacked the funeral of a Palestinian boy on Monday afternoon. The boy had been killed by the Israeli army last week.

17 year old Yousif Amira at the Ramallah hospital – Photo by Anne Paq – Activestills

Seventeen year old Yousif Amira was shot in Nil'in village near Ramallah last Wednesday evening and was pronounced dead on Monday morning.

Villagers from Nil'in took the boy from the governmental hospital in Ramallah on Monday afternoon and marched towered the village for the funeral. Palestinian security officers attacked the protest marchers and arrested at least five local youth.

Witnesses told an IMEMC reporter at the funeral that the PA officers attacked and arrested the men because they were holding Hamas flags.

According to the villagers the body of Amira was sent back to the hospital and the villagers are refusing to clear the streets until the Palestinian police release the arrested men.

Sources in the village of Nil'in told IMEMC that the Israeli army has invaded the village and established army posts all over as soon as the funeral started.

Hamas took over the Gaza Strip on June 2006 after over ran Fatah forces in the Strip. President Abbas fired the Hamas elected government and appointed a government based in Ramallah City in the West Bank affiliated with Fatah.

Over this week end, a new wave of Hamas-Fatah clashes took place in the Gaza Strip. By Monday, the result was the deaths of 9 Palestinians and the injury of more 100 others.

ramallah | internal unrest | news report ghassanb at imemc dot org