BETHLEHEM, Tuesday, February 26, 2019 (WAFA) – Israeli forces attacked this morning hundreds of Palestinian workers who gathered at the narrow corridor of Checkpoint 300, north of the southern West Bank city of Bethlehem that leads to Jerusalem, causing suffocation, said Palestinian security sources.

Soldiers manning the checkpoint fired tear gas canisters towards the Palestinian workers after protesting their ill-treatment as they try to pass through the checkpoint on their way to work in Israel, causing dozens to suffocate from excessive tear gas inhalation.

Soldiers closed the checkpoint following the protest, denying workers access to their workplaces.

Thousands of Palestinian workers who queue before dawn every day to pass through Checkpoint 300 face extreme overcrowding and often wait for hours in line due to severe inspection procedures as every person must pass through metal turnstiles one-at-a-time.

Workers crowd into the cement and metal-barred walkway, push through turnstiles, pass a metal detector and show their IDs and permits to Israeli soldiers in order to travel to Israel for work.

Israeli severely restricts Palestinians’ freedom of movement through a complex combination of approximately 100 fixed checkpoints, flying checkpoints, settler-only roads and various other physical obstructions.

K.F./M.K.