In photos: Palestinians strike across occupied territories, Israel in show of unity
19 May 2021
Palestinians across the occupied territories and Israel on Tuesday went on strike in a collective show of unity as the fighting between Israel and Hamas raged on.
The big picture: Businesses shuttered for the day and schools were closed to protest the Israeli military campaign against Hamas in Gaza, the looming evictions of several Palestinian families in East Jerusalem, the Israeli occupation and the treatment of Palestinian citizens of Israel.
- Protests took place across the occupied West Bank and in some cities in Israel that have large Palestinian populations.
- While the protests remained peaceful in many places, violence broke out in some areas — with Israeli forces firing tear gas, rubber-coated bullets and stun grenades at Palestinians throwing rocks and some of whom set fire to tires, per AP.
- At least three protesters were killed and more than 140 were wounded Tuesday, AP reported, citing Palestinian health authorities. Two Israeli soldiers were wounded by gunshots.
Of note: Tuesday's strike came a little over a weekafter recent fighting between Israel and Hamas, which controls Gaza, began.
- More than 215 Palestinians, including 63 children have been killed in Gaza, according to the Palestinian health ministry.
- At least 12 people, including two children, in Israel have been killed by rockets fired from Gaza, according to Israeli authorities.
A Palestinian man walks past shuttered stores in East Jerusalem. Photo: Ahmad Gharabli/AFP via Getty Images
Palestinians demonstrate in the city of Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank, in solidarity with Gaza. Photo: Abbas Momani/AFP via Getty Images
Palestinians walk past shuttered stores in the occupied West Bank city of Nablus as a general strike is observed in solidarity with Gaza and Jerusalem. Photo: Jaafar Ashtiyeh/AFP via Getty Images
Palestinian citizens of Israel rally in Haifa, Israel. Photo: Mati Milstein/NurPhoto via Getty Images
An aerial picture shows an empty main road in Hebron during a Palestinian general strike. Photo: Hazem Bader/AFP via Getty Images
A man walks past shuttered Palestinian stores in Hebron during Tuesday's strike. Photo: Hazem Bader/AFP via Getty Images
A Palestinian protester confronts Israeli troops at the Hawara checkpoint south of Nablus in the occupied West Bank. Photo: Jaafar Ashtiyeh/AFP via Getty Images
Israeli soldiers restrain a Palestinian protester in Bethlehem. Photo: AFP via Getty Images
Israeli troops fire tear gas towards demonstrators during a protest in Bethlehem. Photo: AFP via Getty Images
Go deeper...
Transcripts show George Floyd told police "I can't breathe" over 20 times
Section2Newly released transcripts of bodycam footage from the Minneapolis Police Department show that George Floyd told officers he could not breathe more than 20 times in the moments leading up to his death.
Why it matters: Floyd's killing sparked a national wave of Black Lives Matter protests and an ongoing reckoning over systemic racism in the United States. The transcripts "offer one the most thorough and dramatic accounts" before Floyd's death, The New York Times writes.
The state of play: The transcripts were released as former officer Thomas Lane seeks to have the charges that he aided in Floyd's death thrown out in court, per the Times. He is one of four officers who have been charged.
- The filings also include a 60-page transcript of an interview with Lane. He said he "felt maybe that something was going on" when asked if he believed that Floyd was having a medical emergency at the time.
What the transcripts say:
- Floyd told the officers he was claustrophobic as they tried to get him into the squad car.
- The transcripts also show Floyd saying, "Momma, I love you. Tell my kids I love them. I'm dead."
- Former officer Derek Chauvin, who had his knee on Floyd's neck for over eight minutes, told Floyd, "Then stop talking, stop yelling, it takes a heck of a lot of oxygen to talk."
Read the transcripts via DocumentCloud.