RAMALLAH: As the total Palestinian death toll in the Gaza Strip soars, large demonstrations broke out in the West Bank. On Monday around 500 Palestinians protested Israel's ongoing military offensive in the Gaza Strip. Demonstrators assembled in downtown Ramallah's Al-Manara Square at noon, and proceeded to march throughout Ramallah, chanting and holding signs declaring their solidarity with Gaza. Around ten men joined the crowd bearing a large piece of fence cut off the security gate at the Israeli military prison Ofer, situated near the village of Birzeit. A mixed group of men and women walked through the city brandishing flags. There were no signs of specific political affiliation, and protest leaders incessantly called for unity among Fatah, Hamas, and other Palestinian parties. “Get out occupation, get out! Get out settlers, get out!" a loud speaker on a truck bed boomed repeatedly. Once they made a full circle and arrived back at Al-Manara Square, several groups gathered in large circles and chanted for Gaza. “Oh resistance fighter, my dear, hit, hit Tel Aviv!" alighted from one circle. The crowd was joined by a long stream of youth. Many of the older people marched on elsewhere, and the school children began a second march. “The Minister of Education told the school to release us early for the demonstration," one student, a high school senior, told BikyaMasr.com. “Because we need to show our support for our brothers and sisters under fire in Gaza," he added. They then made a large short circle around the center of the city, stopping again in Al-Manara. “Oh Israel, we are Palestine's youth, we are Palestine's army!" For several days, large demonstrations have been staged in cities, villages, and refugee camps across the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Israeli military forces have generally responded with strong force, injuring several and killing at least two. On Saturday, soldiers fired live ammunition on demonstrators outside Ofer prison, several witnesses told BikyaMasr.com. When soldiers clashed with rock-throwing youth at the Qalandia checkpoint between Ramallah and Jerusalem, a soldier shot a gas canister into a civilian home, resulting in the death of a 20-month-old boy, a hospital in Ramallah reported. “That was my friend's son, I can't believe it," said Salim, a student at the Ramallah protest on Monday. Another Israeli soldier killed a Palestinian man after he shot him in his back in his home on Sunday, sources in Hebron said. The Israeli military later said the man had been issuing threats with a firebomb. Ma'an News Agency said that more clashes took place on Sunday night after Israeli military forces shut down the road between Hebron and Halhul. More scuffles broke out at the Huwwara checkpoint near Nablus. Another two were critically injured in demonstrations near Bethlehem on Monday morning, and witnesses told BikyaMasr.com that Israeli settlers used their cars to hit several Palestinians, including children, in Ofer. As the Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip continues, unrest in the West Bank promises to increase as well. Palestinian disunity has significantly subsided and people are uniting in the face of Israel's talk of invading Gaza by land. Monday marks the sixth day of Israel's Operation Pillar of Defense. At the time of writing, 92 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli airstrikes in densely populated neighborhoods and commercial centers. Hamas claimed on Monday morning to have fired over 1,300 rockets into Israel, including strikes aimed at Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.
