RAMALLAH, Palestine

Dozens of Palestinians were injured on Friday when Israeli forces used tear gas and gunfire to disperse weekly anti-settlement rallies in the northern occupied West Bank.

According to an Anadolu reporter, rallies were held in the villages of Kafr Qaddoum, Beit Dajan, Qaryut, and Beita.

In Kafr Qaddoum, 40 kilometers (29 miles) east of Qalqilya city, three Palestinians were wounded by rubber-coated bullets from Israeli forces, and dozens more were victims of tear gas during a confrontation with the Israeli army, according to a statement issued by the popular resistance committee in the village.

In the villages of Beit Dajan and Beita near Nablus city, the Anadolu reporter said dozens of Palestinians were temporarily asphyxiated by the Israeli force tear gas shelling.

On a weekly basis, Palestinians hold demonstrations against illegal Jewish settlements in different parts of the occupied West Bank.

Israeli and Palestinian estimates indicate there are about 650,000 settlers living in 164 settlements and 116 outposts in the West Bank, including in occupied Jerusalem.

Under international law, all Jewish settlements in occupied territories are considered illegal.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar