Dozens of students suffocated on Thursday from teargas inhalation after Israeli soldiers fired teargas canisters at them in the town of Abu Dis, east of occupied Jerusalem, a local source told WAFA.

Soldiers broke into the town in the morning hours as students were heading to their schools in an attempt to destroy a memorial built for a young Palestinian who was killed by the Israeli army.

The students threw stones at the soldiers, who responded by firing teargas at them causing a large number of suffocation cases treated on the spot.

The army had previously destroyed the memorial of Mohammad Lafi and warned residents against rebuilding it. The residents, however, rebuilt the memorial immediately after it was destroyed.