At least 114 injured in clashes between Eritreans and police in Israel

Eight of them seriously, 114 people were injured in Israel on Saturday, when clashes between Eritrean asylum seekers, supporters and opponents of the Asmara government led to clashes with the police, according to official sources.

A group of Eritreans boycotted an event at their country's embassy in south Tel Aviv by throwing "boards and stones, vandalized the surrounding shops and set fires," said the police, whose uniformed dispersed the riots with tear gas, stun bombs and even gunfire.

These events have left 114 injured so far, eight of whom are in serious condition, the Magen David Adom emergency service reported for its part, specifying that 30 policemen are among the injured, mostly with minor injuries.

The victims arrived en masse to hospitals with bullet and knife wounds, as well as serious head injuries, on a scale unprecedented since the Second Intifada (2000-05), local media reported, citing the general director of the Ichilov hospital, Ronni Gamzu.

"The police forces took control and peace returned to the streets,” says the latest police report, which has arrested 39 people for these events.

Hundreds of uniformed personnel were deployed to the area, including Mounted police, but the Eritreans managed to smash several patrols and tear down barriers set up by the policemen.

"The officers fired their weapons when they felt that their lives were in danger,” a police spokesman said.

Haim Bublil, the head of the Yarkon district police, told the local press that he was “surprised by the intensity of the violence,” while representatives of the Eritrean community in Israel claim that they warned the authorities a week ago.

Outbreaks of violence within the Eritrean asylum seeker community have previously occurred in Israel. In 2020, one person was stabbed to death.

Since Eritrea gained independence from Ethiopia 30 years ago, there have been no new elections and the local government requires exit visas from its citizens so that they can leave the country.

Hundreds of thousands of people have fled Eritrea for different countries and it is estimated that about 25,000 Eritreans are currently living in Israel.