(JTA) — Israeli soldiers clashed with Palestinian protesters in the West Bank during the annual Palestinian Prisoners Day demonstrations.
On Friday, more than 100 Palestinians were dispersed by the Israel Defense Forces with tear gas in the northern village of Bilin after some of the protesters threw stones at the soldiers. One protester reportedly was wounded by a gas canister or rubber bullet, according to the Times of Israel.
Prisoners Day is marked every year by demonstrators to show solidarity with the more than 6,000 Palestinians who are held in Israeli jails. According to Haaretz, 14 Palestinian parliament members and 20 journalists are among those currently detained.
On Thursday, Hamas leaders called for the abduction of Israelis who could be used in a swap for Palestinians incarcerated in Israeli jails.
“We tell the Zionist enemy: You are all a target for us and the resistance, we will fight you until we finally get rid of you and take as many captives as possible to free our heroes,” Hamas leader Khalil al-Haya said.
The number of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails is the highest it has been in at least five years, according to the French news agency AFP.
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