Newspapers review: Injuries among Gaza protestors, funeral of teenager focus of dailies

Injuring protestors along Gaza border from Israeli gunfire and the funeral procession of 15-year-old Palestinian teenager killed by an Israeli sniper in the southern strip dominated the front page headlines in Palestinian dailies on Friday.

Al-Quds reported that Mumin Ibrahim Abu Ayyadeh (Eyada) was laid to his rest several hours after being killed by an Israeli sniper as he participated in the Great March of Return protests in the southern besieged Gaza Strip.

Abu Ayyadeh, 15, was killed after Israeli snipers opened fire at a demonstration east of Rafah town in the southern coastal enclave. He was reportedly shot in the head.

Al-Quds added that incendiary kites and balloons launched by Gaza protestors sparked fires in Gaza periphery settlements.

Al-Ayyam added that Israeli troops opened fire at dozens of Palestinian protestors near the border fence along Gaza border injuring 20.

On the other hand, al-Hayat al-Jadida opted to report that President Mahmoud Abbas arrived in Paris for a two-day official visit.

Additionally, the dailies reported that Israeli forces demolished a house under construction in Rantis village, northwest of the central West Bank city of Ramallah.

Al-Quds added that Israeli forces delivered demolition notices for several Palestinian homes in al-Walaja village, northwest of the southern West Bank city of Bethlehem.

Highlighting Egyptian-sponsored efforts to achieve reconciliation, al-Quds reported that Hamas has accepted the Egypt’s invitation to ]follow-up on the reconciliation file[ in Cairo and was examining proper timing to dispatch its delegation.

Moreover, al-Quds reported a senior Jordanian source stating that his country was not informed about any new Saudi measures against Palestinians holding temporary Jordanian passports.

He was also reported announcing that a Jordanian-Palestinian committee would convene soon to discuss the issue.

Several travel agents have confirmed that Saudi Arabia has banned Palestinians holding temporary Jordanian passports from entering the country, effectively barring hundreds of thousands of people living in Jordan and Israeli-occupied East Jerusalem from undertaking the Hajj and Umrah pilgrimages.

Quoting Israeli news reports, al-Quds said that the cable car over the Old City of Jerusalem transports 3,000 passengers per hour in all directions.

The cable car would link a former railway station in West Jerusalem to the Moroccan (Dung) Gates, located near the Western Wall of Al-Aqsa Mosque compound.

Furthermore, al-Quds highlighted a new report published by the US State Department indicating that the Palestinian Authority continues to fight “terrorism” in the West Bank.  

The dailies said that 40 congressmen have submitted two new petitions to the US administration asking it to reverse its decisions against the Palestinians.

Quoting the Gulf Online news website, al-Quds said that the US has held confidential deliberations with Arab parties and Palestinian opposition figures on ceasefire with Israel as a prelude to the so-called 'deal of the century’.

Moreover, al-Ayyam said that Israeli occupation authorities commenced the construction of 610 new settler units in occupied East Jerusalem and to the north of Ramallah.

According to al-Ayyam and al-Hayat al-Jadida, dozens of Palestinians suffered from tear gas inhalation after being showered with tear gas canisters fired by Israeli police during a raid that triggered confrontations in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Shufat.

They added that Israeli Jewish settlers attempted to take over a Palestinian-owned plot of land in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah, but were stopped by Palestinians and forced to leave the area.

Yet, al-Ayyam said that seven people were arrested by Palestinian security forces after they stormed Ramallah Secondary Boys School and assaulted a number of teachers and students.

It reported the Israeli internal security agency, known as Shabak, announcing that they detained 10 Palestinians from East Jerusalem for confronting Israeli Jewish settlers who forced their way into Al-Aqsa Mosque compound.

According to al-Hayat al-Jadida, Israeli occupation authorities forced a Palestinian to manually demolish his own house in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Beit Hanina.

It added that parliamentarians who belong to the European Parliament Delegation for Relations with Palestine called for immediate recognition of the State of Palestine.

It added that students from Birzeit University won the gold medal at the 10th International Exhibition of Inventions (IEI) and 3rd World Invention and Innovation Forum (WIIF), held in the Chinese city of Fushan.

Finally, Foreign Minister Riad al-Malki was reported announcing that the State of Palestine would submit its preliminary report on the Convention on the Rights of Child.