On Thursday, Israeli soldiers caused many schoolchildren to suffer the effects of tear gas inhalation in Beit Ummar town, north of Hebron, in the southern part of the occupied West Bank.

Local activist, Mohammad Ayyad Awad, said dozens of Palestinians, including schoolchildren, held a nonviolent procession commemorating the eighteenth anniversary of the death of President Yasser Arafat.

Awad added that the soldiers fired a barrage of gas bombs and concussion grenades, causing many Palestinians, including schoolchildren, to suffer the effects of tear gas inhalation before receiving treatment.

The soldiers also closed the iron gate at the town’s main entrance and prevented the Palestinians from entering or leaving it.