Outrage after Palestinian baby seen on video struggling to breathe following Israeli tear gas inhalation

A Palestinian baby struggled to breath from tear gas inhalation after Israeli forces fired onto  houses in a village in the occupied West Bank on Friday, according to the Palestinian WAFA news agency.

Eight-month-old Nursin Lo’ai Abdullah "suffocated from tear gas inhalation" as Israeli forces suppressed a protest in northern West Bank town of Kafr Qaddoum.

The toddler was reportedly taken to a local medical centre for treatment.

The same day, US Congressional Committees requested safety information from tear gas manufacturers, citing evidence that suggest a link between tear and "long-term adverse health impact for those exposed".

Tear gas temporarily immobilises victims by causing irritation to the eyes, mouth, lungs and skin, according to the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

The so-called "non-lethal" weapons is deployed frequently by Israeli forces during protests against settlement expansion, house demolitions and other rights violations faced by Palestinians living in the West Bank.

An 8-month-old Palestinian baby suffocated after zionist occupation throws tear gas canisters at the homes of Palestinian citizens in the town of Kafr Qaddoum, east of Qalqilya.#SavePalestine#IsraeliTerrorism
pic.twitter.com/4mr06LgGdJ

— Palestine | فلسطين 🇵🇸 (@alianm9) June 11, 2021

A local media coordinator told Al Jazeera that Israeli troops stormed Kafr Qaddum amid heavy covering fire, raiding the home of residents, climbing on their roofs and establishing sniper positions.

Alongside the eight-month, a ten year-old boy was wounded in the leg with a rubber-coated metal bullet.

Israeli forces shot and killed a 15-year-old boy in village near Nablus during a separate protest against settlement expansion on Friday, wounding six others. Said Hamayel is the third child to have been killed in Beita this year, which has seen wave of protests in recent month after Israeli settlers built an outpost on a hill in the village.

Nearly half a million Israeli Jews live in settlements across the occupied territories, despite these being considered illegal under international law. They have been allowed to expand under successive right-wing Israeli governments, as new ones are continually approved.

Last month, at least 66 children were among 246 Palestinians killed during the Israeli military's devastating 11-day bombing campaign in the Gaza strip.