BETHLEHEM, An elderly woman was hit by a teargas canister today and many others suffocated from teargas inhalation as Israeli occupation forces attacked Palestinians involved in a nonviolent protest in the village of Kisan, east of Bethlehem, against the presence of a settler-owned quarry in the village, according to local sources.

Ahmad Ghazal, a local rights activist, told WAFA that Palestinians were peacefully demonstrating in the village when Israeli occupation soldiers attacked them with teargas canisters and stun grenades, injuring 65-year-old Sa’ada Ebiat with a canister in her foot and causing many people to suffocate from inhaling teargas. The woman was moved to hospital for medical treatment.

The Palestinian protesters were demonstrating against the presence of a stone-cutting facility owned by an illegal Israeli settler near the village, which has significantly harmed agriculture and animal husbandry in the village and affected the wellbeing of its residents.

The Israeli soldiers also raided several homes in the village during the attack and briefly detained its mayor, Musa Ebiat, and his son, Hasan.

Source: Palestine News & Info Agency