Israeli troops killed seven men on Friday in the second mass protest in as many weeks along Gaza's volatile border, as Palestinians torched piles of tires to create a smoke screen to block the view of snipers.

Friday's deaths brought to 29 the number of Palestinians killed by Israeli fire over the past week, including 23 protesters.

Gaza's Health Ministry said 1,070 people were wounded on Friday, including 293 by live fire. It said 25 of those wounded were in serious condition. Among those hurt were 12 women and 48 minors, the ministry added.

Israel's army has faced criticism over its use of live fire, but it has warned open-fire rules will remain unchanged to stop damage to the border fence, infiltrations and attacks.

On Friday, Israel's military said in a statement that “approximately 10,000 Palestinians have been rioting in five locations along the border with the Gaza Strip”.

It added that “several attempts have been made to damage and cross the security fence under the cover of the smokescreen created by the burning tires that the rioters ignited”.

The military also said explosive devices and firebombs were thrown.

“Troops are responding with riot dispersal means, including water cannons to put out fires, a huge fan to disperse the smoke, and fire in accordance with the rules of engagement,” it said.

Protesters set alight mounds of tyres to create a smokescreen for Israeli snipers, sending thick black smoke into the air.

“I will be a martyr today. I will cross the border,” Ahmed Abu Ghali, 20, who held up his shirt to show his still seeping wound from last week that required 40 stitches.

“I was wounded last Friday but escaped yesterday from hospital,” said the protester at the rally east of Khan Yunis.

Israel had warned that its open-fire rules would remain unchanged for Friday's protests, pledging to stop any damage to the fence and prevent infiltrations or alleged attacks.

But it has faced mounting criticism over its use of live fire, and UN chief Antonio Guterres called for restraint.

“I particularly urge Israel to exercise extreme caution with the use of force in order to avoid casualties.

Civilians must be able to exercise their right to demonstrate peacefully,” he said in a statement.

In last Friday's demonstration, a number strayed from the main protest and approached the heavily fortified fence on the border with Israel.

Israel says troops opened fire only when necessary against those throwing stones and firebombs or rolling burning tyres at soldiers.

It said there were attempts to damage the fence and infiltrate Israel, while alleging there was also an attempted gun attack against soldiers along the border.

It accuses Hamas, the movement that runs the Gaza Strip and with whom it has fought three wars since 2008, of using the protests as cover to carry out violence.

But the toll of those killed and wounded on March 30 ─ more than 750 people were injured by gunfire, according to Gaza's health ministry ─ has led to criticism of Israel.

There were no Israeli casualties.

Palestinians say protesters were shot while posing no threat to soldiers, and unverified videos that have spread online have fuelled their accusations.

The videos include one appearing to show a man with a tyre shot while running away from the fence. Human Rights Watch has called the actions by the Israeli soldiers “calculated” and illegal.

Guterres and the European Union have called for an independent investigation, which Israel has outright rejected.

Israel says more than half of the dead from the previous Friday were members of militant groups, including the armed wing of Hamas.

Hamas's armed wing has claimed only five of them, saying they were participating “in popular events side-by-side with their people”.

Militant group Islamic Jihad has claimed at least one of the dead as a member, but it said he was not carrying a weapon when he was shot.

Hamas has meanwhile offered compensation of $3,000 to the families of protesters killed and $500 for those seriously injured, drawing outrage from Israel.

The protests, designed to last six weeks, are in support of refugees, including those in the Palestinian enclave who want to return to their former homes in what is now Israel.

More than 700,000 Palestinians fled or were expelled from their lands during the war surrounding Israel's creation in 1948.

Israelis say allowing the so-called “right of return” would mean their country would cease to exist.

Protests will run until the expected opening of the new US embassy in Jerusalem in mid-May.

The US move has led to deep anger among Palestinians, who see the annexed eastern sector of Jerusalem as the capital of their future state.

The White House on Thursday refrained from criticism of Israel and called on protesters to remain peaceful. President Donald Trump's envoy Jason Greenblatt said protesters “should remain outside the 500-metre (-yard) buffer zone; and should not approach the border fence in any way or any location”.</s>No reasonable person expects anything good from Hamas. But the group’s latest efforts to provoke a military confrontation with Israel still somehow boggle the mind.

In recent weeks, Palestinians have protested at the densely populated Gaza Strip’s border with Israel, demanding the right to return to the territory their ancestors once inhabited but lost long ago through a combination of emigration, military defeats, and strategic blunders connected to the Arabs’ repeatedly failed attempts to expel the Jews from the land also of Jewish ancestry. When protesters have turned violent and either tried breaching the border or posing harm to Israelis on the other side, Israeli forces have responded with fire. In total, 27 Palestinians were killed in protests last Friday and this Friday, many of them identified as Hamas fighters.

The loss of life is tragic, and the frustration of Gaza’s Palestinians is understandable. Even devoted supporters of Israel can still feel sympathy for those living under the dysfunctional, cynical and corrupt rule of a Hamas government more devoted to Iran than its own people.

But the obvious reality is that Israel has nothing to gain from clashes along the border; indeed, given the lopsided international opprobrium it must bear, Israel has every reason to avoid bloodshed. It is Hamas that seeks to inflame tensions, encouraging protesters to test the border, despite Israel’s warnings that it will defend its territory against invasion. Hamas surely doesn’t doubt Israel’s resolve. It’s counting on it. Leaders are sending soldiers to whip up the crowd and push them all, civilians included, toward a heightened confrontation. And if Israeli troops shoot to defend their territory, Hamas and its anti-Israel apologists get to decry the atrocity of it.

Israel must act responsibly and proportionally. There is a special moral responsibility that goes along with greater military power. Israel routinely acts with far greater restraint than most other countries, even in the West, would under similar circumstances. We trust it will continue to do so in the face of this latest blatant provocation. It isn’t just, but these are the facts on the ground.

Still, there are other facts. Israel did not seek this confrontation. It pulled out of Gaza unilaterally more than a decade ago, continues to supply the enclave with necessities of life, routinely withstands attacks from Gazan territory and is not in any way precipitating these clashes. It has long been ready to negotiate peace, but there are still no responsible partners it can negotiate with.

We hope for no further bloodshed. But if it comes, let no one forget Hamas’s culpability in it.
• NP View: Hooray! Canada’s military actually succeeded in procuring a new weapon
• NP View: Once again, a man dies so that others may be saved
• NP View: How do you mess up good Canadian gun laws? Ask the Liberals</s>Fares Akram and Mohammed Daraghmeh, The Associated Press 

 



KHUZA'A, Palestinian Territory -- Thousands of Palestinians protested along Gaza's sealed border with Israel on Friday, engulfing the volatile area in black smoke from burning tires to try to block the view of Israeli snipers and cheering a Hamas strongman who pledged that the border fence will eventually fall.

Israeli troops opened fire from across the border, killing at least seven Palestinians and wounding 293 others -- 25 of them seriously -- in the second mass border protest in a week, Gaza health officials said. Hundreds more suffered other injuries, including tear gas inhalation, the officials said.

The deaths brought to at least 29 the number of Palestinians killed by Israeli fire since last week.

The latest casualties were bound to draw new criticism from rights groups that have branded Israel's open-fire orders on the border as unlawful, after Israel's defence minister warned that those approaching the fence were risking their lives.

The UN human rights office said Friday that it has indications that Israeli forces used "excessive force" against protesters last week, when 15 Palestinians were killed or later died of wounds sustained near the border.

An Israeli military spokesman defended the rules of engagement.

"If they are actively attacking the fence, if they are throwing a molotov cocktail that is within striking distance of Israeli troops or similar activities, then those persons, those rioters, become, may become, a target," said Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus.

Friday's large crowds suggested that Hamas, the Islamic militant group that has ruled Gaza since a 2007 takeover, might be able to keep the momentum going in the next few weeks. Hamas has called for a series of protests until May 15, the anniversary of Israel's founding when Palestinians commemorate their mass uprooting during the 1948 war over Israel's creation.

Israel has alleged that Hamas is using the mass marches as a cover for attacking the border fence, and has vowed to prevent a breach at all costs.

The military said that on Friday, protesters hurled several explosive devices and firebombs, using the thick plumes of smoke from burning tires as a cover, and that several attempts to cross the fence were thwarted.

Gaza's shadowy Hamas strongman, Yehiyeh Sinwar, told a cheering crowd in one of the protest camps Friday that a border breach is coming.

The world should "wait for our great move, when we penetrate the borders and pray at Al-Aqsa," Sinwar said, referring to the major Muslim shrine in Jerusalem.

He was interrupted several times by the crowd, who chanted, "We are going to Jerusalem, millions of martyrs!" and "God bless you Sinwar!"

The mass protests are perhaps Hamas' last chance to break a border blockade enforced by Israel and Egypt since 2007, without having to succumb to demands that it disarm. The blockade has made it increasingly difficult for Hamas to govern. It has also devastated Gaza's economy, made it virtually impossible for people to enter and exit the territory, and left residents with just a few hours of electricity a day.

Israel argues that Hamas could have ended the suffering of Gaza's 2 million people by disarming and renouncing violence.

Friday's marches began before Muslim noon prayers when thousands of Palestinians streamed to five tent encampments that organizers had set up several hundred meters from the border fence.

In one camp near the border community of Khuzaa, smaller groups of activists moved closer to the fence after the prayers. Demonstrators torched large piles of tires, engulfing the area in black smoke meant to shield them from Israeli snipers; the faces of some of the activists were covered in black soot.

Israeli troops on the other side of the fence responded with live fire, tear gas, rubber-coated steel pellets and water cannons.

After the first tires started burning, several young men with gunshot wounds began arriving at a field clinic at the camp.

Mohammed Ashour, 20, who had been among the first to set tires on fire, was shot in the right arm.

"We came here because we want dignity," he said resting on a stretcher before paramedics transported him to the strip's main hospital.

Yehia Abu Daqqa, a 20-year-old student, said he had come to honour those killed in previous protests.

"Yes, there is fear," he said of the risks of advancing toward the fence. "We are here to tell the occupation that we are not weak."

The death toll since last week includes at least 22 civilians killed during the two Friday protests at the border, as well as one killed during a protest on Tuesday. The six other deaths include three Palestinian gunmen killed in what Israel said were attempts to attack the border fence and three men who were struck by Israeli tank fire.

Speaking at UN headquarters in New York, Palestinian UN Ambassador Riyad Mansour put the death toll for Friday's protest at nine; the discrepancy between that figure and the death toll provided by the Gaza Health Ministry could not immediately be explained.

More than 1,000 people suffered a range of injuries on Friday, including those hit by live fire and those overcome by tear gas, the Gaza health ministry said. Twelve women and 48 minors were among those hurt, the officials said.

At the United Nations, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged all parties to exercise maximum restraint, said UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric.

He said UN Mideast envoy Nickolay Mladenov had been in touch with Israeli and Palestinian officials to reinforce "the need to allow people to demonstrate peacefully." Mladenov stressed the need to ensure that "excessive force is not used, and the need to ensure that children are not deliberately put in harm's way," Dujarric said.

For a second week in a row, the United States blocked a UN Security Council statement supporting the right of Palestinians to demonstrate peacefully and endorsing Guterres' call for an independent investigation into the deadly protests in Gaza.

Palestinian UN Ambassador Riyad Mansour told reporters at UN headquarters in New York Friday evening that 14 of the 15 council nations agreed to the statement, but the U.S., Israel's closest ally, objected.

A White House envoy urged Palestinians to stay away from the fence. Jason Greenblatt said the United States condemns "leaders and protesters who call for violence or who send protesters -- including children -- to the fence, knowing that they may be injured or killed."

Hamas has billed the final protest, set for May 15, as the "Great March of Return" of Palestinian refugees and their descendants, implying they would try to enter Israel. Two-thirds of Gaza's residents are descendants of refugees.

Palestinians commemorate May 15 as their "nakba," or catastrophe, when hundreds of thousands were uprooted from homes in what is now Israel.

Daraghmeh reported from Ramallah, West Bank. Associated Press writers Karin Laub in Ramallah, Ian Deitch in Jerusalem, Josef Federman on the Gaza border and Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations contributed to this report.</s>Clashes erupted as protesters gathered along the Gaza border on Friday a week after similar demonstrations led to violence in which Israeli force killed 19 Palestinians, the bloodiest day since a 2014 war.

Palestinians burned tyres and threw stones at Israeli soldiers over the border fence, who responded with tear gas and live fire, AFP journalists said.

One person appeared to have been shot east of Gaza City, an AFP photographer at the scene said, but his condition was not immediately clear.

Hundreds of protesters gathered in locations near the border east of Khan Yunis, in the south of the blockaded Palestinian enclave, and east of Gaza City.

The numbers were so far lower than last week, but more were expected in the afternoon after the main weekly Muslim prayers.

Mounds of tyres were set up which were to be lit on fire throughout the day in what Gazan protesters want to be a smokescreen from Israeli snipers.

Israeli forces took up positions across a ridge on the other side of the border and set up a giant fan about two metres high in an apparent bid to push away the smoke.

"I will be a martyr today. I will cross the border," Ahmed Abu Ghali, 20, who held up his shirt to show his still seeping wound from last week that required 40 stitches, said east of Khan Yunis.

"I was wounded last Friday but escaped yesterday from hospital."

Israel's military said in a statement that "hundreds of Palestinians have been rioting in five locations along the border with the Gaza Strip."

It added that "troops are responding with riot dispersal means, and fire in accordance with the rules of engagement."

Israel has warned that its open-fire rules remain unchanged for Friday's protests, pledging to stop any damage to the fence and to prevent infiltrations or alleged attacks.

But it has faced mounting criticism over its use of live fire, and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for restraint.

"I particularly urge Israel to exercise extreme caution with the use of force in order to avoid casualties. Civilians must be able to exercise their right to demonstrate peacefully," he said in a statement.

Last Friday's protest near the Gaza border was attended by tens of thousands of Palestinians.

A smaller number strayed from the main protest and approached the heavily fortified fence on the border with Israel.

Israel says troops opened fire only when necessary against those throwing stones and firebombs or rolling burning tyres at soldiers.

It said there were attempts to damage the fence and infiltrate Israel, while alleging there was also an attempted gun attack against soldiers along the border.

It accuses Hamas, the Islamist movement that runs the Gaza Strip and with whom it has fought three wars since 2008, of using the protests as cover to carry out violence.

But the toll of those killed and wounded -- more than 750 people were injured by gunfire, according to Gaza's health ministry -- has led to criticism of Israel.

There were no Israeli casualties.

Palestinians say protesters were shot while posing no threat to soldiers, and unverified videos that have spread online have fuelled their accusations.

The videos include one appearing to show a man with a tyre shot while running away from the fence.

Human Rights Watch has called the actions by the Israeli soldiers "calculated" and illegal.

Guterres and the European Union have called for an independent investigation, which Israel has outright rejected.

Israel says more than half of the dead were members of militant groups, including the armed wing of Hamas.

Hamas's armed wing has claimed only five of them, saying they were participating "in popular events side-by-side with their people".

Militant group Islamic Jihad has claimed at least one of the dead as a member, but said he was not carrying a weapon when he was shot.

Hamas has meanwhile offered compensation of $3,000 to the families of protesters killed and $500 for those seriously injured, drawing outrage from Israel.

The protests, designed to last six weeks, are in support of refugees, including those in the Palestinian enclave who want to return to their former homes in what is now Israel.

More than 700,000 Palestinians fled or were expelled from their lands during the war surrounding Israel's creation in 1948.

Protests will run until the expected opening of the new US embassy in Jerusalem in mid-May.

The US move has led to deep anger among Palestinians, who see the annexed eastern sector of Jerusalem as the capital of their future state.

The White House on Thursday refrained from criticism of Israel and called on protesters to remain peaceful.

President Donald Trump's envoy Jason Greenblatt said protesters "should remain outside the 500-meter buffer zone; and should not approach the border fence in any way or any location."</s>Clashes erupted as protesters gathered along the Gaza border on Friday a week after similar demonstrations led to violence in which Israeli force killed 19 Palestinians, the bloodiest day since a 2014 war.

Palestinians burned tyres and threw stones at Israeli soldiers over the border fence, who responded with tear gas and live fire, AFP journalists said.

One person appeared to have been shot east of Gaza City, an AFP photographer at the scene said, but his condition was not immediately clear.

Hundreds of protesters gathered in locations near the border east of Khan Yunis, in the south of the blockaded Palestinian enclave, and east of Gaza City.

The numbers were so far lower than last week, but more were expected in the afternoon after the main weekly Muslim prayers.

Mounds of tyres were set up which were to be lit on fire throughout the day in what Gazan protesters want to be a smokescreen from Israeli snipers.

Israeli forces took up positions across a ridge on the other side of the border and set up a giant fan about two metres high in an apparent bid to push away the smoke.

"I will be a martyr today. I will cross the border," Ahmed Abu Ghali, 20, who held up his shirt to show his still seeping wound from last week that required 40 stitches, said east of Khan Yunis.

"I was wounded last Friday but escaped yesterday from hospital."

Israel's military said in a statement that "hundreds of Palestinians have been rioting in five locations along the border with the Gaza Strip."

It added that "troops are responding with riot dispersal means, and fire in accordance with the rules of engagement."

Israel has warned that its open-fire rules remain unchanged for Friday's protests, pledging to stop any damage to the fence and to prevent infiltrations or alleged attacks.

But it has faced mounting criticism over its use of live fire, and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for restraint.

"I particularly urge Israel to exercise extreme caution with the use of force in order to avoid casualties. Civilians must be able to exercise their right to demonstrate peacefully," he said in a statement.

Last Friday's protest near the Gaza border was attended by tens of thousands of Palestinians.

A smaller number strayed from the main protest and approached the heavily fortified fence on the border with Israel.

Israel says troops opened fire only when necessary against those throwing stones and firebombs or rolling burning tyres at soldiers.

It said there were attempts to damage the fence and infiltrate Israel, while alleging there was also an attempted gun attack against soldiers along the border.

It accuses Hamas, the Islamist movement that runs the Gaza Strip and with whom it has fought three wars since 2008, of using the protests as cover to carry out violence.

But the toll of those killed and wounded -- more than 750 people were injured by gunfire, according to Gaza's health ministry -- has led to criticism of Israel.

There were no Israeli casualties.

Palestinians say protesters were shot while posing no threat to soldiers, and unverified videos that have spread online have fuelled their accusations.

The videos include one appearing to show a man with a tyre shot while running away from the fence.

Human Rights Watch has called the actions by the Israeli soldiers "calculated" and illegal.

Guterres and the European Union have called for an independent investigation, which Israel has outright rejected.

Israel says more than half of the dead were members of militant groups, including the armed wing of Hamas.

Hamas's armed wing has claimed only five of them, saying they were participating "in popular events side-by-side with their people".

Militant group Islamic Jihad has claimed at least one of the dead as a member, but said he was not carrying a weapon when he was shot.

Hamas has meanwhile offered compensation of $3,000 to the families of protesters killed and $500 for those seriously injured, drawing outrage from Israel.

The protests, designed to last six weeks, are in support of refugees, including those in the Palestinian enclave who want to return to their former homes in what is now Israel.

More than 700,000 Palestinians fled or were expelled from their lands during the war surrounding Israel's creation in 1948.

Protests will run until the expected opening of the new US embassy in Jerusalem in mid-May.

The US move has led to deep anger among Palestinians, who see the annexed eastern sector of Jerusalem as the capital of their future state.

The White House on Thursday refrained from criticism of Israel and called on protesters to remain peaceful.

President Donald Trump's envoy Jason Greenblatt said protesters "should remain outside the 500-meter buffer zone; and should not approach the border fence in any way or any location."</s>Israel will not change its rules of engagement ahead of the "March of Return" planned for Friday in Gaza.

Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman warned those who do not abide by the rules "will be shot," speaking on Israeli Army Radio late Wednesday.

Palestinians are bracing for potential violence; Israel also expects more violence on Friday.

"It is going to be another bloody weekend," Israel's former counterterrorism chief Brigadier General (Reserve) Nitzan Nuriel told reporters. "We have Hamas who are armed trying to push it a bit more than we can accept." He reiterated that the border is a red line. "Those who will be close to the fence, we will see them as a target," Nuriel said. "They should demonstrate without crossing those red lines. If they do, the price will be very high." Israel blames Hamas and Islamic Jihad for the violence, and warned it will strike deep inside Gaza if provoked.

Thousands of tires have been readied to set alight on the Gaza side of the border in order to create curtains of black smoke and obscure the sights of Israeli snipers. Since Wednesday morning, bulldozers have been constructing dirt berms at a location near the border. Gazans at the temporary northern Abu Safia tent camp built last weekend say it's to protect protesters. "Friday of Fire," as it's been dubbed, will be the second in a sequence of marches planned to continue through mid-May. The goal of the marches, Palestinians say, is to cross the border fence and return to their lands that became Israel seven decades ago. Last Friday's march on the fence ended in violent confrontations, in what was the deadliest day in Gaza since the 2014 Gaza Israel war. Seventeen Palestinians were killed , and another two succumbed to their injuries a few days later. Israeli forces fired on marchers it said participated in violence. Significantly smaller scale confrontations continued through the week, resulting in numerous incidents on land and extending to the sea. Israeli naval forces shot at a Palestinian fishing boat to force it into the "designated (6 mile) fishing zone," according to an Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) statement. Three fishermen were moderately injured, said the Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza. Diplomats: US blocks UN statement for independent inquiry into Gaza violence Other deadly incidents took place during the week, bringing the total death toll in one week to 20. A Palestinian died following an overnight Israeli air strike Wednesday, the Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza reported. The IDF said it targeted an "armed terrorist adjacent to the security fence" in northern Gaza. Israel holds Hamas responsible for the events in Gaza, and says most of those killed are "known terror activists" from Hamas and Islamic Jihad. Palestinians and human rights organizations accuse Israel of using excessive and illegal force on what they described as peaceful protesters. Israeli human rights organization B'Tselem launched a campaign called "Sorry Commander, I cannot shoot" urging Israeli soldiers to refuse to shoot protesters. The organization says it is taking this step after "soldiers used live fire against unarmed demonstrators," which it says is illegal. The Israeli defense minister called the organization a group of "fifth columnists." The UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Nickolay Mladenov, urged Israeli forces and Palestinians to exercise restraint, saying "demonstrations and protests must be allowed to proceed in a peaceful manner. Civilians, particularly children, must not be intentionally put in danger or targeted in any way." Palestinian activists and the IDF continue to post social media videos to support their opposing claims about last week's violent events.</s>Gaza: The Gaza border with Israel has been enflamed by violence since Israeli forces opened fire on a protest march on March 30.



 It was the deadliest single day in the territory since a 2014 war with Israel, and led to new riots, clashes and deaths.

Here is a rundown of the unrest:On March 30, tens of thousands of Palestinians including women and children gather at sites throughout the blockaded Gaza Strip, which is flanked by Israel along its eastern and northern borders.They are taking part in "The Great March of Return" which calls for the "right to return" of the descendants of some 700,000 Palestinians who fled or were expelled from their lands during the war over Israel's creation in 1948.A smaller number stray from the main protest and approach the heavily fortified border fence, confronting Israeli troops by throwing stones and firebombs.Israeli soldiers open fire, killing 19 Palestinians in what is the bloodiest single day in Gaza since 2014.The next day, Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas declares a day of national mourning and says he holds Israel fully responsible for the deaths.Palestinians and Turkey accuse Israel of using "disproportionate force". The Arab League, Egypt and Jordan all condemn the Israeli response.Officially organised by civilians, the march is supported by Hamas, the Islamist movement that runs the Gaza Strip.Thousands of Gazans gather to bury their dead on March 31 while just a few hundred protesters return to several areas near the border to continue the demonstration.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praises troops for "guarding the country's borders"."Well done to our soldiers," he writes in a statement.The United States blocks a draft United Nations Security Council statement urging restraint and calling for an investigation of the deadly clashes.On April 1, Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman rejects any independent investigation."There will be no such thing here. We shall not cooperate with any commission of inquiry," he tells public radio.The defence minister warns on April 3 that protesters who approach the fence between Gaza and Israel will put "their life in danger".There is the first death since the 19 were killed, that of a Palestinian shot in the chest by Israeli forces.On April 5, another Palestinian is killed, this time in an Israeli air strike, the health ministry says.US President Donald Trump's envoy Jason Greenblatt puts the onus for the violence squarely on the Palestinians. Protesters "should not approach the border fence in any way or any location", he says.As tensions mount ahead of new Friday protests, marking a week since the first outbreak of violence, defence minister Lieberman says there will be no change in the open-fire rules."If there are provocations, there will be a reaction of the harshest kind like last week," Lieberman tells public radio.The UN envoy for the Middle East peace process, Nickolay Mladenov, calls for peaceful demonstrations and restraint by Israeli forces.On April 6, a week since the violence broke out, thousands of Palestinians gather again near the security barrier.They burn mounds of tyres and throw stones at Israeli soldiers over the border fence.The security forces respond with tear gas and live fire, that leaves at least nine people dead, including journalist Yasser Murtaja.Some 500 people are reported injured by Israeli gunfire including five other journalists.Kuwait again makes a push at the UN for a statement demanding an investigation into the killings but the US says it is opposed.Israel's army insists its troops opened fire "in accordance with the rules of engagement". (AFP)(WIL)</s>At least one Palestinian has been killed and 40 wounded in clashes along the Israeli border with the Gaza Strip. The violence follows the killing of 19 Palestinians by Israeli forces during violent demonstrations in the same area a week ago.

Thousands of Palestinians held a mass protest on the Gaza border, where they were confronted by Israeli troops.

Soldiers fired tear gas, rubber bullets and live ammunition to prevent a breach of the border fence.

The protesters burned tires near the fence, as thick black smoke rose into the air.

Demonstrator Muhammad al-Tramsi said that by burning tires, Palestinians hoped to blind Israeli snipers. He said he is not afraid to die.

Israel has warned that any attempt to breach the fence and bring a flood of Palestinians across the border is a red line that will not be tolerated.

Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman described the protests as a provocation and warned that anyone approaching the border fence is putting his life at risk.

The United Nations, European Union and human rights groups charge that firing at unarmed demonstrators is an excessive use of force, but Israel has rejected their demands for an inquiry.

The Islamic militant group Hamas which rules Gaza says the protests are aimed at highlighting Israel’s crippling blockade on the coastal territory as well as the so-called “right of return”: the right of Palestinian refugees to return to their former homes in Israel.

The weekly demonstrations are due to conclude in mid-May with a mass march on Israel’s 70th anniversary.</s>At least nine Palestinian men have been killed and scores more injured by Israeli gunfire on the Gaza border, a week after 18 Palestinians were killed at similar demonstrations.

The renewed violence came despite a call by the UN secretary general, António Guterres for Israel to exercise “extreme caution”. His appeal was echoed by the UN human rights spokeswoman Elizabeth Throssell who said unjustified recourse to live fire could amount to wilful killing of civilians – a breach of the fourth Geneva convention.

Time for peaceful resistance, says Gaza's new movement Read more

Figures for the dead and injured were supplied by the Hamas-controlled health ministry in Gaza and a website associated with the group. The most seriously injured had reportedly been shot in the head or upper body. Another Palestinian who had been injured in last week’s protests also died on Friday from his wounds.

On Saturday morning, the health ministry in Gaza said a Palestinian journalist shot by Israeli forces had died. Yasser Murtaja, a photographer with the Gaza-based Ain Media agency, was hit during clashes Friday. Another man, 20-year-old Hamza Abdel Aal, has also died after being shot, the ministry said, taking the death toll in Friday’s clashes to nine.

The deaths came as thousands of protesters streamed towards a series of protest camps along the border for a demonstration calling for Palestinian refugees’ right of return.



Under the cover of smoke from burning tyres, dozens of protesters approached the fence in one area, despite warnings by the Israeli military that those who did so risked their lives.

Justifying its response, the Israeli military said: “Several attempts have been made to damage and cross the security fence under the cover of the smokescreen created by the burning tyres that the rioters ignited.”



Later on Friday, the Hamas leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, visited the Khuza’a camp, receiving a hero’s welcome. Sinwar told the crowd that the world should “wait for our great move, when we breach the borders and pray at al-Aqsa”, referring to the mosque in Jerusalem which is the third holiest site in Islam.

His address appeared to be the first time a Hamas leader specifically threatened to break through the border, something Israel has said it would not allow at any price.

Among those wounded was Mohammed Ashour, 20, who was shot in the right arm. “We came here because we want dignity,” he told reporters from his stretcher before paramedics carried him to an ambulance.

Fresh violence had been widely anticipated after the protests on 30 March, when thousands of Gaza residents participated in the demonstrations, many gathering in five tented encampments that had been set up from north to south along the narrow coastal strip’s border with Israel.

According to reports in the Israeli media, the Israel Defence Forces had been anticipating that as many as 50,000 demonstrators could participate on Friday, with the rules of engagement allowing live fire to be used against anyone who approached the border fence.

A Guardian reporter at the demonstrations, however, suggested a far lower turnout than last week, when about 30,000 people demonstrated.

Among those who turned up was Ali Bakroun, 19. “I came here with my friends to fly the kite we made this week,” he said. “I wrote our names on it. We got close to the fence to throw stones but we stayed in a low place so we would be under cover. I’m not afraid to be shot or killed because our land deserves our lives.”

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Palestinian paramedics set up ahead of protests on the Israel-Gaza border near Khan Yunis. Photograph: Said Khatib/AFP/Getty Images

In a statement, the Israeli military underlined its determination to prevent any protesters approaching close to the fence. “The IDF will not allow any breach of the security infrastructure and fence, which protects Israeli civilians, and will act against those who are involved in these attacks,” it said.

Guterres issued a statement from the UN saying: “I particularly urge Israel to exercise extreme caution with the use of force in order to avoid casualties. Civilians must be able to exercise their right to demonstrate peacefully. I call upon all parties on the ground to avoid confrontation and exercise maximum restraint.”

Play Video 10:13 Even the firehoses leak: how Gaza deals with urban destruction – video

The Gaza Strip’s border with Israel is highly sensitive for both sides. Overseen in places by observation balloons, in other places the border consists of a double fence and an Israeli security road.

As tensions mounted on Friday, Israeli forces fired teargas that landed inside the encampment near the large agricultural village of Khuza’a, briefly sending people fleeing.



Yehia Abu Daqqa, a 20-year-old student, said he had come to demonstrate and honour those killed in the past. “Yes, there is fear,” he said of the risks of advancing toward the fence. “We are here to tell the occupation that we are not weak.”

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Palestinians run for cover from tears gas canisters fired at them east of Gaza City in the Gaza strip. Photograph: Mahmud Hams/AFP/Getty Images

Friday’s march was the second in what Gaza’s Hamas rulers have said would be a series of several weeks of protests against a decade-old blockade of the territory. Israel has accused Hamas of trying to carry out border attacks under the cover of large protests and said it would prevent a breach of the fence at all costs.

A leading Israeli rights group, B’Tselem, issued a rare appeal to Israeli soldiers to refuse “grossly illegal” orders to fire at unarmed protesters.

Time for peaceful resistance, says Gaza's new movement Read more

A White House envoy urged Palestinians to stay away from the fence. Jason Greenblatt said the US condemned “leaders and protesters who call for violence or who send protesters including children to the fence, knowing that they may be injured or killed”.</s>TWO PALESTINIANS, INCLUDING a journalist, have died after being shot by Israeli troops during border clashes, the health ministry in Gaza said today, bringing the total killed in the latest violence to nine.

Thousands of protesters approached the border fence around the Gaza Strip for a second Friday in a row, burning tyres and hurling stones at Israeli forces, who responded with tear gas and live ammunition.

In addition to the nine dead, at least 491 were wounded by Israeli gunfire, the health ministry in the Hamas-run Gaza strip said.

Israel estimated the number of protesters at around 20,000, saying they were seeking to breach the border.

Numbers were down from the previous Friday, when tens of thousands approached the border in demonstrations that saw Israeli forces kill 19 Palestinians, making it the bloodiest day in Gaza since a 2014 war.

No Israelis were injured on either day and the latest deaths have sparked fresh calls for an investigation.

Among those killed at yesterday’s protest was Yasser Murtaja, a photographer with the Gaza-based Ain Media agency, who died from his wounds after being shot, the local health ministry said Saturday.

Murtaja’s company confirmed his death, with witnesses saying he was close to the front of the protests in Southern Gaza when he was hit.

An AFP photograph taken after he was wounded showed Murtaja wearing a press vest as he received treatment.

The Israeli army declined to comment, saying it was reviewing the incident.

The Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate said five other journalists were also shot during the protests, insisting they were wearing clothes clearly identifying them as members of the press.

In a statement, the syndicate said it held Israel “fully accountable for this crime.”

The Gaza health ministry also announced todaythe death of another man, 20-year-old Hamza Abdel Aal, saying he was shot east of Al-Bureij in central Gaza.

The nine men were expected to be buried today.

Weeks of border protests have been called to demand the return of Palestinians to land they were forced from or fled after the founding of Israel 70 years ago.

They come with tensions high as the US gears up to shift its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem after recognising the disputed city as the capital of the Jewish state.

Yesterday, protesters said Gaza’s economic woes were also fuelling frustration.

The territory has been under an Israeli blockade for a decade, while Egypt has mostly sealed its borders in recent years as well, leaving the cramped area of two million people largely sealed off.

Ahmad al-Naqaa, 40, said he was bringing his seven children to the protest because “we are living like sardines”.

“I am ready to die for our land and our dignity,” he told AFP.

At the United Nations yesterday, Kuwait called on the Security Council to investigate the deaths.

A Kuwaiti text is expected to be vetoed by the United States after a similar draft declaration was blocked last week.

Israel has rebuffed international calls for a probe into last Friday’s killings.

UN chief Antonio Guterres urged it to “exercise extreme caution with the use of force” ahead of the latest clashes.

The Israeli army said its troops opened fire yesterday “in accordance with the rules of engagement”.

The military said “attempts were made to infiltrate into Israel under the cover of a smokescreen” and that firebombs and explosive devices were thrown at the soldiers.

Israel accuses Hamas, the Islamist movement that runs the Gaza Strip and with whom it has fought three wars since 2008, of using the protests as cover to carry out violence.

It claimed more than half the dead from the previous Friday were members of militant groups, including Hamas’s armed wing.

Hamas claimed only five of the dead, saying they were participating “in popular events side-by-side with their people.”

Those killed would receive $3,000 to support their families, Hamas announced ahead of Friday’s protests.

Late last night, Israeli army spokesman Brigadier General Ronen Manelis classified the operation along the border as a success.

“None of our troops were wounded, the fence was not crossed,” he said, noting that what happened last week had “deterred Hamas, which prevented the masses from approaching the fence”.

But on the other side, Hamas’s leader in Gaza Yahya Sinwar also claimed victory and pledged Palestinians would eventually “break the border and return to our land and pray in Jerusalem”.

Israel has also banned the entry of tyres into the Gaza Strip, the head of a Palestinian committee for coordinating imports to Gaza said.

The borders were quiet this morning.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres warns Israel to use "extreme caution" as further protests are held at the Gazan border. Israeli Defence Forces open fire again, killing at least seven Palestinians.