The IDF's rules of engagement on the Gaza border are in line with Israeli and international law, the state said Sunday in its response to a High Court petition by Yesh Din against the live fire used to stop Palestinians from crossing the border into Israel during weekly rioting. A total of 44 protesters have been killed and thousands wounded, many by live fire, in the March of Return protests, which are expected to peak in mid-May, when the Palestinians mark the 70th anniversary of the founding of the state of Israel, which they regard as the Nakba, or catastrophe, and the birth of the Palestinian refugee problem. The Israeli government's written response to the petitions says the Gaza protests are not peaceful civilian demonstrations but "part of the armed conflict between the state of Israel and the Hamas terrorist organisation." The rights groups say rules of engagement of law enforcement apply, under which officers can only resort to lethal force if their lives are in imminent danger. "But we know enough about them to argue that these sections which allow lethal force against unarmed civilians who do not pose danger are illegal.
In response to a Yesh Din petition to the Israeli High Court calling for a ban on the use of live rounds to prevent protestors breaching the border fence, the Israeli government says its rules of engagement meet local and international law, that intelligence used to justify decisions will be submitted to the court, and that the protests are considered part of the ongoing conflict with Hamas.