Palestinian hurt during Gaza demo in support of J’lem

By Nour Abu Aisha and Hani al-Shair

GAZA CITY, Palestine (AA) - At least one Palestinian was injured by Israeli army gunfire near the Gaza Strip’s border with Israel during a Friday demonstration against U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

“A Palestinian protester sustained moderate injuries after being shot in the leg by Israeli forces,” Palestinian Health Ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra said in a statement.

On Dec. 6, U.S. President Donald Trump announced his decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, sparking widespread condemnation and protest from across the Arab and Muslim world.

On Friday, hundreds of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip staged demonstrations -- for the fifth week in a row -- to protest the controversial U.S. move.

Organized by Palestinian resistance movement Islamic Jihad, Friday’s demonstration began at the Grand Mosque in Gaza’s southern city of Khan Yunis.

Demonstrators waved Palestinian flags alongside banners reading, "Jerusalem is Palestine’s eternal capital."

“The U.S. president must understand that the Palestinian people will never give up Jerusalem," Nafez Azzam, a leading Islamic Jihad member, told Anadolu Agency on the sidelines of the protest.

Azzam went on to urge Palestinian youth to maintain their angry demonstrations “until the U.S. reverses its Jerusalem policy”.

Jerusalem remains at the heart of the Middle East conflict, with Palestinians hoping that East Jerusalem -- now occupied by Israel -- might eventually serve as the capital of an independent Palestinian state.