Hebron April 28, 2015 (WAFA) - Several Palestinians suffered excessive tear gas inhalation during clashes with Israeli forces on Tuesday near  'Abu al-Rish' Israeli military checkpoint in the old city of Hebron in the southern West bank.

WAFA correspondent in Hebron reported that Israeli soldiers, stationed at the checkpoint, fired tear gas canisters toward Palestinians, causing many of them to suffocate. They were all treated at the scene.

An increasing number of unarmed and peaceful Palestinians were either killed or seriously injured as a result of Israel’s constant use of tear gas against Palestinians.

B'Tselem, the Israeli human rights information center, stated that “[Israeli] soldiers and Border Police often fire tear-gas grenades directly at demonstrators with the aim of hitting them, or fire carelessly, without ensuring that demonstrators are not in the direct line of fire, in direct contravention of regulations.”

The legal center, in a summary report published in 2013, demanded that Israeli security forces “completely prohibit the firing of 40mm tear-gas canisters either directly at individuals or horizontally, in a way that could cause result in injuries.”

Earlier Tuesday, forces stormed several towns and neighborhoods in the Hebron, where they proceeded to stop and inspect Palestinian-registered vehicles.

According to a security source, forces further stormed Hebron's towns of Samu’, Bani Naim and Halhul as well as set up military checkpoints at the entrances of the town of Seir and the northern entrance of the Hebron city. The soldiers stopped passing Palestinian-registered cars; checking passenger identity cards, obstructing movement and causing a traffic jam.

T. R.