Mohammed Mar'i Saudi Gazette RAMALLAH – A Palestinian worker died early Sunday of a heart attack as he was chased by Israeli soldiers near the West Bank Qalqilyah, Palestinian medical sources said. The sources said that Tha'er Abu Shalouf died of a heart attack after Israeli soldiers chased a group of Palestinian laborers trying to infiltrate the separation wall near the village of Azoun Atmeh, to the southwest of Qalqilyah, at 4 am in search for job opportunity in Israel. The sources added that Abu Shalouf's body was sent to the Qalqilyah's hospital. The deceased is married and father of four children. Hundreds of unemployed Palestinian workers risk their lives by creeping into Israel to look for jobs in the labor market as the rate of joblessness in the Palestinian territory hits 24.9 percent. Shaher Sa'ad, Secretary-General of the Palestine General Federation of Trade Unions (PGFTU), slammed the incident saying it is “part of Israeli criminal acts and escalation policy against the Palestinian laborers and farmers.” Sa'ad said that the chasing of laborers “constitute a blatant violation against human rights guaranteed by the international laws mainly the freedom of movement and work.” He urged the international community “to exert pressure on the Israeli government to strop such practices against the Palestinian laborers.”
