Israel Palestine
Palestinian protesters run from tear gas fired by Israeli troops during clashes at a protest marking the 66th anniversary of Nakba, in the West Bank village of El Walaja near Bethlehem. Reuters

Two Palestinians have been killed by Israel Defence Force (IDF) troops in the West Bank during a Nakba Day rally to protest the creation of the state of Israel 66 years ago.

Mohammad Abu Thaher, a 22-year-old from the village of Abu Skheidem, and Nadeem Nuwara, a 17-year old from the village of Mazra'ah Sharqiyeh, were killed in the protest outside Ofer prison, according to Palestinian activist Nader El Khuzunder.

Both were killed by rubber bullets to the heart, according to Haaretz. Both Israeli military and Israeli police declined to comment on the incidents.

Nakba Day, otherwise known as the Day of Catastrophe, relates to the creation of the state of Israel in 1948, after which 90% of the 1.4 million Palestinians - living on the land that is today called Israel - fled or were forced into exile, according to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) in Ramallah.

Every 15 May, Palestinians hold rallies to commemorate the day of mourning, and at noon sirens ring for a period coinciding with the length of Israel's perceived occupation. This year they rang for 66 seconds.

Thousands of Palestinians took to the streets for the Nakba rallies in the West Bank cities of Ramallah, Nablus, Bethlehem and Hebron.

Ofer prison is an Israeli detention center where over 1,000 Palestinians, including children, are being held under administrative detention.

Human rights groups have criticised the Israeli Prison Service for human rights abuses perpetrated inside prisons such as Ofer.

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Israel Palestine