GAZA, Palestinian Territory — The Latest on developments related to Gaza protests (all times local):

The European Union has urged the Israeli military to “refrain from using lethal force against unarmed protesters,” after four Palestinians, including a teen-age boy, were killed by army fire in protests along Gaza’s border with Israel. Huge black plumes of smoke from the blazing tires engulfed the area, as Israeli troops fired tear gas and live bullets, witnesses said. Before Friday, 28 Palestinian protesters had been killed and hundreds wounded by Israeli army fire from across the border fence since the protests began in late March. In addition, 729 protesters were hurt, including 156 hit by live fire, the ministry said, adding that five of the wounded were in serious condition. It has said snipers only target the “main instigators.”

Rights groups have branded open-fire orders as unlawful, saying they effectively permit soldiers to use potentially lethal force against unarmed protesters. The military has said it is defending Israel’s border and that its troops, including snipers, only target “instigators.” It has also accused Hamas of using mass protests as a cover for attacks. The protests are part of what organizers, led by Gaza's ruling Hamas group, have billed as an escalating showdown with Israel, to culminate in a mass march on May 15. “We will stay here until we reclaim our lands,” said Ahmed Nasman, 21, speaking in a protest tent camp east of Gaza City, as activists near him prepared kites. Hamas says the protests are aimed at breaking a crippling border blockade that was imposed by Israel and Egypt after the Islamic militant group overran the territory in 2007, a year after winning Palestinian parliament elections. The marches also press for a “right of return” of Palestinian refugees and their descendants to what is now Israel. White House envoy Jason Greenblatt, a member of President Donald Trump’s Mideast team, said on social media that Palestinians in Gaza have a “right to protest their dire humanitarian circumstances.”

Organizers “should focus on that message, not stoke the potential for more violence with firebombs and flaming kites, and must keep a safe distance from the border,” said Greenblatt, adding that “the cost of these demonstrations is too high in loss of life and injuries.”

The protests are to continue at least until May 15, the anniversary of Israel’s 1948 creation. Several thousand protesters flocked to the border area Friday, most gathering in five tent camps several hundred meters (yards) away from the border. The shootings came as thousands of Palestinians joined the fourth weekly protest on Gaza's border with Israel on Friday, with some burning tyres or flying kites which carried flaming rags. GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli military aircraft on Friday dropped leaflets urging Palestinians to stay away from the Gaza-Israel border fence and warning that they endanger their lives if they follow directives of Hamas organizers of the weekly protests there. While Hamas and smaller Palestinian factions have taken a lead as organizers, the mass marches are also fueled by growing desperation among Gaza’s 2 million residents. The border blockade has trapped nearly all of them in the tiny coastal territory, gutted the economy and deepened poverty. Gaza residents typically get fewer than five hours of electricity per day, while unemployment has soared above 40 per cent.
Palestinians riot along the Israel-Gaza border fence, burning tyres and flying flaming kites across the border to set Israeli fields ablaze; Israel Defence Forces soldiers respond with tear gas and live fire, killing four Palestinians, including a 15-year-old, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.