IDF soldiers will continue to fire at Palestinians from Gaza who come too close to Israel’s border fence that separates the Strip from the southern part of the country, Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman said on Tuesday morning.



“Anyone who comes close to the fence will endanger their lives,” said Liberman during a visit to the southern border.





He dismissed international criticism of his live fire policy by the UN and European countries as he warned the thousands of Gaza participants in the "March of Return" not to try to cross into Israel by breaking through the border fence.The six-week event was launched last Friday with some 30,000 participants. IDF soldiers killed 17 of the protestors . The army has since said that those killed were among protesters close to the fence who were acting violently toward its soldiers. This included two armed Palestinian men with an en explosive device who, the army said, planned to execute a terror attack.Palestinians have, in turn, charged that those killed were unarmed protestors standing up for their right to return to land the Palestinians lost during the 1948 War of Independence.No Gaza inquiry, Israeli Defense Minister Liberman says, April 1, 2018 (Reuters)Liberman said he hoped the Palestinians now understood that this protest was pointless.“I think the other side [the Palestinians] understand that it is not worth it to continue and I warn those who do against any additional provocation,” Liberman said.“Most of those who were killed are well known terrorists who are active in Hamas’s military wing and in the Islamic Jihad,” said Liberman. “These are not innocent civilians who came to peacefully protest,” he added.“We are not provoking the people in Gaza. We are protecting our citizens,” he said.“We have set very clear rules [of engagement] and we have no intention of changing them,” Liberman said.“We are determined to protect the security of Israeli citizens, of course, first and foremost, in the area of Gaza, and there will be no compromise on this issue, no flexibility,” said Liberman.Gaza residents who want to see true change should invest their energies in regime change by working to remove Hamas from power, rather than in protests against Israel, said Liberman.Hamas leaders have invested $260 million in terror infrastructure in Gaza rather than in water, electricity or education for their people, charged Liberman.Israel is prepared to help Gaza rehabilitate itself economically if Hamas agrees to demilitarize the area, Liberman said.According to media reports, Hamas has asked the Arab League to turn to the International Criminal Court at The Hague with regard to the Gaza deaths.The Left-wing group B’Tselem said that Liberman’s decision to continue to order his soldiers to shoot at demonstrators was frightening and illegal.“An order to fire at unarmed demonstrators who pose no danger to anyone is a blatantly illegal,” B’Teslem said.“The fact that, after the events of Friday and the number of wounded and killed in the course of the attack, the defense minister repeats the same orders is frightening. The government of Israel and the army must change the orders and make it clear that it is forbidden to fire on demonstrators."Eric Goldstein, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch, said, “Israeli soldiers were not merely using excessive force, but were apparently acting on orders that all but ensured a bloody military response to the Palestinian demonstrations.”“The result was foreseeable deaths and injuries of demonstrators on the other side of a border who posed no imminent threat to life," Goldstein said.These kinds of actions “highlight the importance of the International Criminal Court prosecutor opening a formal investigation into serious international crimes in Palestine,” HRW said.Among the stories of the dead that Palestinians have promoted on social media is that of artist Mohammad Abu Umr, whose work included sand sculptures on the Gaza beach.Israel has listed him as one of the ten known terrorists who were killed, and Israel’s Prime Minister’s Office tweeted a photo of him in fatigues with a gun and a headband.</s>The Palestinian Mission to the United Nations denounced Israel's killing of "peaceful demonstrators" and appealed for international protection of Palestinian civilians in a letter sent to the Security Council yesterday. 



Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian Ambassador to the UN, also called for investigations into the deaths of 18 Palestinians in clashes with the IDF as part of the "March of Return" protests in the Gaza Strip.





"The Palestinians that were killed or injured were exercising their right to peaceful protest," the letter states. "However the occupying Power had once again, in a premeditated manner, adopted a shoot-to-kill policy."The IDF has stated at that at least 10 of those killed were known terroristsThe letter quoted in a recent column by left-wing Israeli journalist Gideon Levy and from a press statement by B'tselem — The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories, describing the scene as a "massacre."Since protests began on the Gaza border on Friday, over 1,500 Palestinians have been wounded according to the Gaza health ministry.Israeli officials, including Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman, have stated numerous times that Israel would not let its sovereignty be breached or allow harm to come to its border fence with Gaza."I warn (Gaza protesters) against continuing the provocation. We have set clear game rules and we do not intend to change them. Every person who comes close to the fence is endangering their lives," he said on a visit to the border."This was a well-organized provocation by Hamas's armed wing in an attempt to harm our sovereignty, to disrupt daily life and to disturb Israelis on their Seder (traditional Passover meal) night. We are doing what we must do."In Gaza, protesters have begun gathering thousands of mirrors which they hope to use to blindi soldiers on the other side of the fence in planned protests this Friday. The protesters say they also intend to use laser pointers to distracti army sharpshooters.Reuters contributed to this report</s>GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — The Palestinian death toll in last week's mass protest on the Gaza-Israel border rose to 18 on Monday, officials said, as Israel rejected allegations of unlawful use of lethal force against unarmed demonstrators.

More than 750 Palestinians were wounded by Israeli fire in Friday's protest, according to Gaza health officials, making it the bloodiest day in Gaza since the 2014 Israel-Hamas war.

Gaza's Hamas rulers have not said if the final aim of protests, which are to continue off and on for six weeks, is an attempted mass breach of the border fence.

Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh on Sunday hinted at an escalation, saying last Friday's protests had a "limit," but that "next time, we won't know where that line would be."

Israel accused the Islamic militant Hamas of trying to attack its border under the guise of protests. Officials said Israel has a right to defend its border, and that troops were instructed to target what the army described as the "main instigators."

However, the military's open-fire policies came under more scrutiny as two amateur videos emerged purportedly showing two Palestinians being shot — one killed and one wounded — while not posing any apparent threat to soldiers.

In one video, a man later identified as Ibrahim Abu Shanab is seen kneeling on the ground in the first of two rows of worshippers Friday, facing the border fence at a distance of 150 to 200 meters (yards). Suddenly, he stands up, limps a few meters (yards), collapses and his carried away by young men who shout "Allahu Akbar," or "God is Great."

Adli Abu Taha, who filmed the scene on his mobile phone, told The Associated Press that Abu Shanab had thrown stones close to the fence before joining the group for Friday prayers. The incident took place east of the southern Gaza city of Rafah, and medics said Abu Shanab was shot in the leg.

In another video that spread on social media, a young man later identified as Abdelfatah Abdelnabi, is seen being fatally shot from behind while carrying a tire as he ran away from the border.

Majd al-Omari, who filmed the incident on his smartphone, said that just before the shooting, Abdelnabi had been involved in burning tires about 200 meters (yards) from the fence.

The Israeli military accused Hamas on Sunday of releasing videos that were incomplete, edited or "completely fabricated," but did not elaborate.

The military said troops followed strict rules of engagement, and that protesters were putting themselves in "harm's way" by operating in a dangerous area.

Israeli military officials have said troops would not allow protesters to cross or damage the border fence, and that protesters would not be permitted to get closer than 100 meters to the fence.

The officials did not say how troops would respond if "red lines" were crossed.

An Associated Press reporter saw two young men getting shot in the legs Saturday, in incidents about 15 minutes apart, as they stepped away from a group of dozens of people standing about 200 meters (yards) from the border and walked closer to the fence.

In Friday's protests, thousands gathered near the border in several locations. Smaller groups moved closer to the fence, throwing stones or burning tires. The military said that in one incident, two armed men opened fire near the fence.

Rights groups said it's unlawful to use lethal force when Palestinian protesters don't pose an imminent threat to the lives of Israeli soldiers.

"An army can use reasonable force to defend a border," said Omar Shakir of the international group Human Rights Watch.

"This was an incident where soldiers were firing from behind the fence, separated by buffer zones and other objects, firing on individuals well behind the fence, in some cases retreating, not moving forward, or advancing without posing imminent threat."

Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman has rejected international calls for an investigation.

The death toll for Friday rose to 18, after a 29-year-old man died Monday of his injuries. The militant group Islamic Jihad said the man had been a member.

The Israeli military has said 10 of the Palestinians killed Friday were members of Hamas and other militant groups, but did not say if any were armed except for the two who had opened fire near the fence.

Amos Gilad, a retired senior defense official, accused Hamas on Monday of cynically exploiting civilians, alleging the group "wants headlines through blood."

"The big achievement of last Friday is that they (marchers) didn't cross the border," he told Israel's Channel 10.

"Israel cannot allow violent Palestinians who are being sent by an organization whose aim is to destroy the state" to enter Israeli territory, he said.

The idea for the mass marches was first floated by a Gaza social media activist several months ago, and was later adopted by Hamas, which seized power in Gaza in 2007. In response to Hamas rule, Israel and Egypt enforced a crippling blockade of Gaza's borders. Israel and Hamas have fought three cross-border wars.

Protests are to continue until May 15, the 70th anniversary of Israel's founding. The date is mourned by Palestinians as their "nakba," or catastrophe, when hundreds of thousands were uprooted in the 1948 Mideast war over Israel's creation. Most of Gaza's 2 million people are descendants of Palestinian refugees.

Gaza's continued border closure has made it increasingly difficult for Hamas to govern. Life in the coastal strip has deteriorated further in recent months, with rising unemployment, grinding poverty and daily blackouts that last for hours.

In a risky strategy, Hamas appears to be trying to use the protests to draw attention to the difficult conditions in Gaza, without plunging into another devastating war with Israel.

Laub reported from Ramallah, West Bank. Associated Press writer Josef Federman in Jerusalem contributed to this report.</s>GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — The Palestinian death toll in last week's mass protest on the Gaza-Israel border rose to 18 on Monday, officials said, as Israel rejected allegations of unlawful use of lethal force against unarmed demonstrators.

More than 750 Palestinians were wounded by Israeli fire in Friday's protest, according to Gaza health officials, making it the bloodiest day in Gaza since the 2014 Israel-Hamas war.

Gaza's Hamas rulers have not said if the final aim of protests, which are to continue off and on for six weeks, is an attempted mass breach of the border fence.

Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh on Sunday hinted at an escalation, saying last Friday's protests had a "limit," but that "next time, we won't know where that line would be."

Israel accused the Islamic militant Hamas of trying to attack its border under the guise of protests. Officials said Israel has a right to defend its border, and that troops were instructed to target what the army described as the "main instigators."

However, the military's open-fire policies came under more scrutiny as two amateur videos emerged purportedly showing two Palestinians being shot — one killed and one wounded — while not posing any apparent threat to soldiers.

In one video, a man later identified as Ibrahim Abu Shanab is seen kneeling on the ground in the first of two rows of worshippers Friday, facing the border fence at a distance of 150 to 200 meters (yards). Suddenly, he stands up, limps a few meters (yards), collapses and his carried away by young men who shout "Allahu Akbar," or "God is Great."

Adli Abu Taha, who filmed the scene on his mobile phone, told The Associated Press that Abu Shanab had thrown stones close to the fence before joining the group for Friday prayers. The incident took place east of the southern Gaza city of Rafah, and medics said Abu Shanab was shot in the leg.

In another video that spread on social media, a young man later identified as Abdelfatah Abdelnabi, is seen being fatally shot from behind while carrying a tire as he ran away from the border.

Majd al-Omari, who filmed the incident on his smartphone, said that just before the shooting, Abdelnabi had been involved in burning tires about 200 meters (yards) from the fence.

The Israeli military accused Hamas on Sunday of releasing videos that were incomplete, edited or "completely fabricated," but did not elaborate.

The military said troops followed strict rules of engagement, and that protesters were putting themselves in "harm's way" by operating in a dangerous area.

Israeli military officials have said troops would not allow protesters to cross or damage the border fence, and that protesters would not be permitted to get closer than 100 meters to the fence.

The officials did not say how troops would respond if "red lines" were crossed.

An Associated Press reporter saw two young men getting shot in the legs Saturday, in incidents about 15 minutes apart, as they stepped away from a group of dozens of people standing about 200 meters (yards) from the border and walked closer to the fence.

In Friday's protests, thousands gathered near the border in several locations. Smaller groups moved closer to the fence, throwing stones or burning tires. The military said that in one incident, two armed men opened fire near the fence.

Rights groups said it's unlawful to use lethal force when Palestinian protesters don't pose an imminent threat to the lives of Israeli soldiers.

"An army can use reasonable force to defend a border," said Omar Shakir of the international group Human Rights Watch.

"This was an incident where soldiers were firing from behind the fence, separated by buffer zones and other objects, firing on individuals well behind the fence, in some cases retreating, not moving forward, or advancing without posing imminent threat."

Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman has rejected international calls for an investigation.

The death toll for Friday rose to 18, after a 29-year-old man died Monday of his injuries. The militant group Islamic Jihad said the man had been a member.

The Israeli military has said 10 of the Palestinians killed Friday were members of Hamas and other militant groups, but did not say if any were armed except for the two who had opened fire near the fence.

Amos Gilad, a retired senior defense official, accused Hamas on Monday of cynically exploiting civilians, alleging the group "wants headlines through blood."

"The big achievement of last Friday is that they (marchers) didn't cross the border," he told Israel's Channel 10.

"Israel cannot allow violent Palestinians who are being sent by an organization whose aim is to destroy the state" to enter Israeli territory, he said.

The idea for the mass marches was first floated by a Gaza social media activist several months ago, and was later adopted by Hamas, which seized power in Gaza in 2007. In response to Hamas rule, Israel and Egypt enforced a crippling blockade of Gaza's borders. Israel and Hamas have fought three cross-border wars.

Protests are to continue until May 15, the 70th anniversary of Israel's founding. The date is mourned by Palestinians as their "nakba," or catastrophe, when hundreds of thousands were uprooted in the 1948 Mideast war over Israel's creation. Most of Gaza's 2 million people are descendants of Palestinian refugees.

Gaza's continued border closure has made it increasingly difficult for Hamas to govern. Life in the coastal strip has deteriorated further in recent months, with rising unemployment, grinding poverty and daily blackouts that last for hours.

In a risky strategy, Hamas appears to be trying to use the protests to draw attention to the difficult conditions in Gaza, without plunging into another devastating war with Israel.

Laub reported from Ramallah, West Bank. Associated Press writer Josef Federman in Jerusalem contributed to this report.</s>Israel's defence minister has said the military will not change its tough response to Hamas-led mass protests near Gaza's border with the country, warning those who approach will endanger their lives.

Avigdor Lieberman spoke near Gaza, where 18 Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire on Friday, the first day of what Hamas said will be six weeks of intermittent border protests against a stifling blockade of the territory.

Mr Lieberman's comments raised the possibility of more bloodshed this Friday, when another large mass protest is expected.

Also on Tuesday, the international group Human Rights Watch accused Mr Lieberman and other senior Israeli officials of unlawfully calling for the use of live fire against Palestinian protesters who posed no imminent threat to life.

Last Friday, thousands of Palestinians marched near the border fence between Israel and Gaza, many gathering around tent encampments set up several hundred metres from the frontier.

Smaller groups moved closer to the fence, throwing stones, hurling firebombs or burning tyres. Israeli troops were lined up on the other side of the fence, including snipers perched on high earth embankments overlooking Gaza.

Palestinian health officials have said 18 Palestinians were killed that day, including 13 involved in the mass protest, making it the bloodiest day in Gaza since the 2014 cross-border war between Israel and the Islamic militant group Hamas.

More than 750 Palestinians were wounded by Israeli fire, according to Gaza health officials.

The Israeli military has claimed, without elaborating, that it believes the figure was overblown and that dozens, at most, were injured by live rounds.

Israeli officials have said soldiers in the border area had orders to target the "main instigators" and those who approach the border.

Human Rights Watch said Israel has presented no evidence that rock-throwing or other violence seriously threatened the soldiers on the other side of the fence.

"The high number of deaths and injuries was the foreseeable consequence of granting soldiers leeway to use lethal force outside of life-threatening situations in violation of international norms, coupled with the longstanding culture of impunity within the Israeli army for serious abuses," the group said.

Mr Lieberman has rejected international calls for an independent investigation.

On Tuesday, he warned Hamas against what he called "continued provocation".

"We have established clear ground rules and we do not intend to change them," Mr Lieberman said during a visit to an Israeli communal farm near Gaza. "Anyone who approaches the border is putting his life in danger."

Israel's military spokesman, Brig Gen Ronen Manelis, has portrayed stone-throwing, tyre burning and other actions by protesters near the border fence as "acts of terror".

Briefing journalists on Monday, he did not say in what circumstances protesters were killed on Friday or why lethal force is justified if soldiers are not in apparent imminent danger. He argued that there would have been far more bloodshed in the event of a mass border breach.

In Gaza, protest organisers also prepared for the next confrontation.

Plans were circulated on social media to burn large numbers of tyres on Friday, in hopes that thick black smoke would block the view of Israeli snipers. Others suggested trying to disrupt the vision of soldiers with mirrors.

The planned protests seem to be the last hope for Hamas to try to break a border blockade imposed by Israel and Egypt in 2007, when the group seized Gaza from Western-backed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Two other blockade-busting strategies - war with Israel and reconciliation with Mr Abbas - have failed.

Hamas has said the border protests would continue until May 15, the 70th anniversary of Israel's creation.

Palestinians mourn the date as the anniversary of their "catastrophe" when hundreds of thousands were uprooted from what is now Israel.

Two-thirds of Gaza's two million people are descendants of refugees. Life in Gaza has become increasingly harsh after more than a decade of closures, with residents enduring daily power outages lasting hours.

Hamas has said the protests would culminate in a March of Return, implying the demonstrators would at some point try to cross the border fence into Israeli territory.

However, Hamas officials have not specifically called for a mass breach of the fence.</s>GAZA (Reuters) - The West Bank-based Palestinian prime minister crossed into the Gaza Strip on Monday in a move towards reconciliation between the mainstream Fatah party and Hamas, a decade after the Islamist group seized the territory in a civil war.

 Rami al-Hamdallah said at a welcome ceremony his unity government would begin assuming control of Gaza's administrative affairs, as well as "security responsibilities and responsibility for crossings and borders".

 Hamas, considered a terrorist group by Israel and the West, made its dramatic step towards unity last month, disbanding its Gaza shadow government, after Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates imposed an economic boycott on its main donor, Qatar, over alleged support of terrorism. Qatar denies the allegation.

 Under previous understandings, some 3,000 Fatah security men would be integrated gradually into a Gaza police force overseen by an Interior Ministry headed by Hamdallah. 

 That deployment would still leave Hamas's armed wing -- analysts say it has at least 25,000 well-equipped fighters -- the dominant power in the Palestinian enclave of 2 million people.

 "We return to Gaza in order to conclude reconciliation and national unity and end the painful impacts of divisions and to rebuild Gaza brick by brick," said Hamdallah, who is an independent.

 Forces loyal to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas lost control of Gaza in fighting with Hamas in 2007.

 Hamas's reversal is the most significant step towards Palestinian reconciliation since the unity government was formed in 2014. It failed to function in Gaza - where Israel and Hamas have fought three wars since 2008 - because of disputes between Hamas and Fatah over its responsibilities. 

 In his first comments after Hamdallah and his entourage entered Gaza, Abbas told Egyptian TV station CBC in an interview that his sanctions on the enclave would be lifted after the unity government takes control.

 "Everything must be in the hands of the Palestinian Authority, it must be the one to control the crossing points (in and out of Gaza),” he said, adding that there could be only one regime setting laws and enforcing them. 

 Analysts said narrowing internal divisions could help Western-backed Abbas counter Israel's argument that it has no negotiating partner for peace with the Palestinians.

 A Hamas police honor guard and hundreds of Palestinians, many of them waving Palestinian flags, awaited Hamdallah outside the Hamas-controlled checkpoint, down the road from Israel's Erez border crossing through which the prime minister and his motorcade passed.

 "It is a day of Eid, a national holiday," said Abdel-Majid Ali, 46. "We hope this time reconciliation is for real."

 Nickolay Mladenov, the U.N. special coordinator for the Middle East peace process, wrote on Twitter: "The road ahead will be long and hard, but momentum of reconciliation and peace should not be missed." 

 

 CABINET MEETING

 The unity drive also marked a return to prominence of exiled former Gaza security chief Mohammed Dahlan, once one of Hamas's fiercest enemies and now a leading figure in regional efforts to pull the territory back into the Palestinian mainstream.

 Dahlan, based since 2011 in the United Arab Emirates, is behind an influx of cash to prop up Gaza and detente between Hamas and Arab states including Egypt, which hosted reconciliation talks.

 Michael Oren, deputy minister for diplomacy in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's cabinet, said a key issue for Israel was whether Hamas, which is dedicated to Israel's destruction, would retain its weapons.

 "If it does, then it's a non-starter for Israel," he said.

 The U.S. was watching developments closely with the aim of improving humanitarian conditions in Gaza, Jason Greenblatt, U.S. President Donald Trump's Middle East envoy, said on Twitter, but insisted the new administration must abandon violence.

 "The United States stresses that any Palestinian government must unambiguously and explicitly commit to nonviolence, recognition of the State of Israel, acceptance of previous agreements and obligations between the parties, and peaceful negotiations," Greenblatt wrote. 

 Both Israel and Egypt maintain a partial blockade of Gaza, citing security concerns.

 In public remarks at a lunch with Hamdallah, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh appeared to be uncompromising about any accommodation with Israel, calling for the establishment of a Palestinian state "on the full Palestinian soil with Jerusalem as its capital and the return of refugees to their lands and homes".

 On Tuesday, the Palestinian unity cabinet will meet in Gaza.

 "The agenda is crowded with ideas and projects," Culture Minister Ehad Bseisso said.

 In addition to setting a date for holding presidential and parliamentary elections, rival factions will have to resolve the issue of the fate of the 40,000 to 50,000 civil and military staff Hamas had hired since 2007.

 

 (Additional reporting by Dan Williams and Ori Lewis in Jerusalem, Matt Spetalnick in Washington and Ali Abelatti in Cairo; Editing by Alison Williams and Cynthia Osterman)</s>GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — The Palestinian death toll in last week's mass protest on the Gaza-Israel border rose to 18 on Monday, officials said, as Israel rejected allegations of unlawful use of lethal force against unarmed demonstrators.

More than 750 Palestinians were wounded by Israeli fire in Friday's protest, according to Gaza health officials, making it the bloodiest day in Gaza since the 2014 Israel-Hamas war.

Gaza's Hamas rulers have not said if the final aim of protests, which are to continue off-and-on for six weeks, is an attempted mass breach of the border fence.

Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh on Sunday hinted at an escalation, saying last Friday's protests had a "limit," but that "next time, we won't know where that line would be."

Israel accused the Islamic militant Hamas of trying to attack its border under the guise of protests. Officials said Israel has a right to defend its border, and that troops were instructed to target what the army described as the "main instigators."

However, the military's open-fire policies came under more scrutiny as two amateur videos emerged purportedly showing two Palestinians being shot — one killed and one wounded — while not posing any apparent threat to soldiers.

In one video, a man later identified as Ibrahim Abu Shanab is seen kneeling on the ground in the first of two rows of worshippers Friday, facing the border fence at a distance of 150 to 200 meters (yards). Suddenly, he stands up, limps a few meters (yards), collapses and his carried away by young man who shout "Allahu Akbar," or "God is Great."

Adli Abu Taha, who filmed the scene on his mobile phone, told The Associated Press that Abu Shanab had thrown stones close to the fence before joining the group for Friday prayers. The incident took place east of the southern Gaza city of Rafah, and medics said Abu Shanab was shot in the leg.

In another video that spread on social media, a young man is seen being fatally shot from behind while running away from the border area carrying a tire.

The Israeli military accused Hamas on Sunday of releasing videos that were incomplete, edited or "completely fabricated," but did not elaborate.

The military said troops followed strict rules of engagement, and that protesters were putting themselves in "harm's way" by operating in a dangerous area.

Israeli military officials have said troops would not allow protesters to cross or damage the border fence, and that protesters would not be permitted to get closer than 100 meters to the fence.

The officials did not say how troops would respond if "red lines" were crossed.

An Associated Press reporter saw two young men getting shot in the legs Saturday, in incidents about 15 minutes apart, as they stepped away from a group of dozens of people standing about 200 meters (yards) from the border and walked closer to the fence.

In Friday's protests, thousands gathered near the border in several locations. Smaller groups moved closer to the fence, throwing stones or burning tires. The military said that in one incident, two armed men opened fire near the fence.

Rights groups said it's unlawful to use lethal force when Palestinian protesters don't pose an imminent threat to the lives of Israeli soldiers.

"An army can use reasonable force to defend a border," said Omar Shakir of the international group Human Rights Watch.

"This was an incident where soldiers were firing from behind the fence, separated by buffer zones and other objects, firing on individuals well behind the fence, in some cases retreating, not moving forward, or advancing without posing imminent threat."

Israel's Defense Minister Avigor Lieberman has rejected international calls for an investigation.

The death toll for Friday rose to 18, after a 29-year-old man died Monday of his injuries. The militant group Islamic Jihad said the man had been a member.

The Israeli military has said 10 of the Palestinians killed Friday were members of Hamas and other militant groups, but did not say if any were armed except for the two who had opened fire near the fence.

Amos Gilad, a retired senior defense official, accused Hamas on Monday of cynically exploiting civilians, alleging the group "wants headlines through blood."

"The big achievement of last Friday is that they (marchers) didn't cross the border," he told Israel TV's 10.

"Israel cannot allow violent Palestinians who are being sent by an organization whose aim is to destroy the state (of Israel)" to enter Israeli territory, he said.

The idea for the mass marches was first floated by a Gaza social media activist several months ago, and was later adopted by Hamas, which has ruled Gaza since a violent takeover of the territory in 2007. In response to Hamas rule, Israel and Egypt enforced a crippling blockade of Gaza's borders. Israel and Hamas fought three cross-border wars.

Protests are to continue until May 15, the 70th anniversary of Israel's founding. The date is mourned by Palestinians as their "nakba," or catastrophe, when hundreds of thousands were uprooted in the 1948 Mideast war over Israel's creation. Most of Gaza's 2 million people are descendants of Palestinian refugees.

Gaza's continued border closure has made it increasingly difficult for Hamas to govern. Life in the coastal strip has deteriorated further in recent months, with rising unemployment, grinding poverty and daily blackouts that last for hours.

In a risky strategy, Hamas appears to be using the protests to draw attention to the difficult conditions in Gaza, without plunging into another war with Israel. The sides have fought three wars in the past decade, resulting in heavy losses to Hamas and heavy damage to Gaza.

Laub reported from Ramallah, West Bank. Associated Press writer Josef Federman in Jerusalem contributed to this report.</s>Days after the bloodshed along the border with Gaza, Israel's defense minister, Avigdor Liberman, has vowed a lethal response to those who approach the border fence again."Anyone who comes close to the fence will endanger their lives," Liberman said in a video message for the Jerusalem Post from Kibbutz Holit, close to the southern Gaza Strip. Liberman emphasized that all protestors would face Israeli snipers.The warning came just hours after a Palestinian man, Ahmad Arafeh, fell victim to Israeli gunfire along the Gaza border, bringing the death toll to 18 since Friday when around 30,000 Palestinians started rallying. A six-week campaign called 'The Great Return March' is a protest against Israeli settlements on the former Palestinian territory which is now Israel.The bloodshed elicited international concern and condemnation. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, and human rights group Amnesty International called for an "independent and transparent investigation."However,The minister said troops acted appropriately and fired only at Palestinian protestors who posed a threat. The IDF claimed all of the Palestinians who were shot dead at the border were Hamas fighters.Human Rights Watch defined such claims as attemptsPalestinians said the protestors were unarmed and defenseless refugees, as some of them were demanding the right to return home to the territory presently occupied by Israel, which was lost during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war. The territory was occupied by the State of Israel since the moment of its formation.Ahead of looming protests this Friday, Israel's Foreign Ministry released a video in which it warned Hamas was "preparing for violent riots and armed combat on the Israeli border this coming Friday."The video is in addition to a Foreign Ministry message that Palestinians "are violent rioters, not peaceful demonstrators."During his visit to the border of the Gaza Strip, the defense minister said that protestors were "not innocent civilians who came to protest." Liberman told the Jerusalem Post: "Most of those who were killed are well-known terrorists who are active in Hamas' military wing or in Islamic Jihad."Human Rights Watch deputy director for the Middle East, Eric Goldstein, said: "Israeli soldiers were not merely using excessive force, but were apparently acting on orders that all but ensured a bloody military response to the Palestinian demonstrations." The organization called on the Israeli government to recognize that "even in the absence of serious domestic oversight, officials who order unlawful lethal force may become subject to prosecution abroad as a matter of universal jurisdiction or in international judicial forums."</s>GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — The Palestinian death toll in last week's mass protest on the Gaza-Israel border rose to 18 on Monday, officials said, as Israel rejected allegations of unlawful use of lethal force against unarmed demonstrators.

More than 750 Palestinians were wounded by Israeli fire in Friday's protest, according to Gaza health officials, making it the bloodiest day in Gaza since the 2014 Israel-Hamas war.

Gaza's Hamas rulers have not said if the final aim of protests, which are to continue off and on for six weeks, is an attempted mass breach of the border fence.

Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh on Sunday hinted at an escalation, saying last Friday's protests had a "limit," but that "next time, we won't know where that line would be."

Israel accused the Islamic militant Hamas of trying to attack its border under the guise of protests. Officials said Israel has a right to defend its border, and that troops were instructed to target what the army described as the "main instigators."

However, the military's open-fire policies came under more scrutiny as two amateur videos emerged purportedly showing two Palestinians being shot — one killed and one wounded — while not posing any apparent threat to soldiers.

In one video, a man later identified as Ibrahim Abu Shanab is seen kneeling on the ground in the first of two rows of worshippers Friday, facing the border fence at a distance of 150 to 200 meters (yards). Suddenly, he stands up, limps a few meters (yards), collapses and his carried away by young men who shout "Allahu Akbar," or "God is Great."

Adli Abu Taha, who filmed the scene on his mobile phone, told The Associated Press that Abu Shanab had thrown stones close to the fence before joining the group for Friday prayers. The incident took place east of the southern Gaza city of Rafah, and medics said Abu Shanab was shot in the leg.

In another video that spread on social media, a young man later identified as Abdelfatah Abdelnabi, is seen being fatally shot from behind while carrying a tire as he ran away from the border.

Majd al-Omari, who filmed the incident on his smartphone, said that just before the shooting, Abdelnabi had been involved in burning tires about 200 meters (yards) from the fence.

The Israeli military accused Hamas on Sunday of releasing videos that were incomplete, edited or "completely fabricated," but did not elaborate.

The military said troops followed strict rules of engagement, and that protesters were putting themselves in "harm's way" by operating in a dangerous area.

Israeli military officials have said troops would not allow protesters to cross or damage the border fence, and that protesters would not be permitted to get closer than 100 meters to the fence.

The officials did not say how troops would respond if "red lines" were crossed.

An Associated Press reporter saw two young men getting shot in the legs Saturday, in incidents about 15 minutes apart, as they stepped away from a group of dozens of people standing about 200 meters (yards) from the border and walked closer to the fence.

In Friday's protests, thousands gathered near the border in several locations. Smaller groups moved closer to the fence, throwing stones or burning tires. The military said that in one incident, two armed men opened fire near the fence.

Rights groups said it's unlawful to use lethal force when Palestinian protesters don't pose an imminent threat to the lives of Israeli soldiers.

"An army can use reasonable force to defend a border," said Omar Shakir of the international group Human Rights Watch.

"This was an incident where soldiers were firing from behind the fence, separated by buffer zones and other objects, firing on individuals well behind the fence, in some cases retreating, not moving forward, or advancing without posing imminent threat."

Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman has rejected international calls for an investigation.

The death toll for Friday rose to 18, after a 29-year-old man died Monday of his injuries. The militant group Islamic Jihad said the man had been a member.

The Israeli military has said 10 of the Palestinians killed Friday were members of Hamas and other militant groups, but did not say if any were armed except for the two who had opened fire near the fence.

Amos Gilad, a retired senior defense official, accused Hamas on Monday of cynically exploiting civilians, alleging the group "wants headlines through blood."

"The big achievement of last Friday is that they (marchers) didn't cross the border," he told Israel's Channel 10.

"Israel cannot allow violent Palestinians who are being sent by an organization whose aim is to destroy the state" to enter Israeli territory, he said.

The idea for the mass marches was first floated by a Gaza social media activist several months ago, and was later adopted by Hamas, which seized power in Gaza in 2007. In response to Hamas rule, Israel and Egypt enforced a crippling blockade of Gaza's borders. Israel and Hamas have fought three cross-border wars.

Protests are to continue until May 15, the 70th anniversary of Israel's founding. The date is mourned by Palestinians as their "nakba," or catastrophe, when hundreds of thousands were uprooted in the 1948 Mideast war over Israel's creation. Most of Gaza's 2 million people are descendants of Palestinian refugees.

Gaza's continued border closure has made it increasingly difficult for Hamas to govern. Life in the coastal strip has deteriorated further in recent months, with rising unemployment, grinding poverty and daily blackouts that last for hours.

In a risky strategy, Hamas appears to be trying to use the protests to draw attention to the difficult conditions in Gaza, without plunging into another devastating war with Israel.

Laub reported from Ramallah, West Bank. Associated Press writer Josef Federman in Jerusalem contributed to this report.</s>GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — The Palestinian death toll in last week's mass protest on the Gaza-Israel border rose to 18 on Monday, officials said, as Israel rejected allegations of unlawful use of lethal force against unarmed demonstrators.

More than 750 Palestinians were wounded by Israeli fire in Friday's protest, according to Gaza health officials, making it the bloodiest day in Gaza since the 2014 Israel-Hamas war.

Gaza's Hamas rulers have not said if the final aim of protests, which are to continue off and on for six weeks, is an attempted mass breach of the border fence.

Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh on Sunday hinted at an escalation, saying last Friday's protests had a "limit," but that "next time, we won't know where that line would be."

Israel accused the Islamic militant Hamas of trying to attack its border under the guise of protests. Officials said Israel has a right to defend its border, and that troops were instructed to target what the army described as the "main instigators."

However, the military's open-fire policies came under more scrutiny as two amateur videos emerged purportedly showing two Palestinians being shot — one killed and one wounded — while not posing any apparent threat to soldiers.

In one video, a man later identified as Ibrahim Abu Shanab is seen kneeling on the ground in the first of two rows of worshippers Friday, facing the border fence at a distance of 150 to 200 meters (yards). Suddenly, he stands up, limps a few meters (yards), collapses and his carried away by young men who shout "Allahu Akbar," or "God is Great."

Adli Abu Taha, who filmed the scene on his mobile phone, told The Associated Press that Abu Shanab had thrown stones close to the fence before joining the group for Friday prayers. The incident took place east of the southern Gaza city of Rafah, and medics said Abu Shanab was shot in the leg.

In another video that spread on social media, a young man later identified as Abdelfatah Abdelnabi, is seen being fatally shot from behind while carrying a tire as he ran away from the border.

Majd al-Omari, who filmed the incident on his smartphone, said that just before the shooting, Abdelnabi had been involved in burning tires about 200 meters (yards) from the fence.

The Israeli military accused Hamas on Sunday of releasing videos that were incomplete, edited or "completely fabricated," but did not elaborate.

The military said troops followed strict rules of engagement, and that protesters were putting themselves in "harm's way" by operating in a dangerous area.

Israeli military officials have said troops would not allow protesters to cross or damage the border fence, and that protesters would not be permitted to get closer than 100 meters to the fence.

The officials did not say how troops would respond if "red lines" were crossed.

An Associated Press reporter saw two young men getting shot in the legs Saturday, in incidents about 15 minutes apart, as they stepped away from a group of dozens of people standing about 200 meters (yards) from the border and walked closer to the fence.

In Friday's protests, thousands gathered near the border in several locations. Smaller groups moved closer to the fence, throwing stones or burning tires. The military said that in one incident, two armed men opened fire near the fence.

Rights groups said it's unlawful to use lethal force when Palestinian protesters don't pose an imminent threat to the lives of Israeli soldiers.

"An army can use reasonable force to defend a border," said Omar Shakir of the international group Human Rights Watch.

"This was an incident where soldiers were firing from behind the fence, separated by buffer zones and other objects, firing on individuals well behind the fence, in some cases retreating, not moving forward, or advancing without posing imminent threat."

Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman has rejected international calls for an investigation.

The death toll for Friday rose to 18, after a 29-year-old man died Monday of his injuries. The militant group Islamic Jihad said the man had been a member.

The Israeli military has said 10 of the Palestinians killed Friday were members of Hamas and other militant groups, but did not say if any were armed except for the two who had opened fire near the fence.

Amos Gilad, a retired senior defense official, accused Hamas on Monday of cynically exploiting civilians, alleging the group "wants headlines through blood."

"The big achievement of last Friday is that they (marchers) didn't cross the border," he told Israel's Channel 10.

"Israel cannot allow violent Palestinians who are being sent by an organization whose aim is to destroy the state" to enter Israeli territory, he said.

The idea for the mass marches was first floated by a Gaza social media activist several months ago, and was later adopted by Hamas, which seized power in Gaza in 2007. In response to Hamas rule, Israel and Egypt enforced a crippling blockade of Gaza's borders. Israel and Hamas have fought three cross-border wars.

Protests are to continue until May 15, the 70th anniversary of Israel's founding. The date is mourned by Palestinians as their "nakba," or catastrophe, when hundreds of thousands were uprooted in the 1948 Mideast war over Israel's creation. Most of Gaza's 2 million people are descendants of Palestinian refugees.

Gaza's continued border closure has made it increasingly difficult for Hamas to govern. Life in the coastal strip has deteriorated further in recent months, with rising unemployment, grinding poverty and daily blackouts that last for hours.

In a risky strategy, Hamas appears to be trying to use the protests to draw attention to the difficult conditions in Gaza, without plunging into another devastating war with Israel.

Laub reported from Ramallah, West Bank. Associated Press writer Josef Federman in Jerusalem contributed to this report.
Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Liberman says the nation will maintain its tactics at the Gazan border of shooting anybody who approaches the fence, and calls on Hamas to cease hostilities in exchange for aid.