Nearly 50 demonstrators have been killed in six weeks of protests along Gaza border

Dozens of Palestinians were wounded by Israeli gunfire on Friday as thousands returned to the Gaza border for a sixth week of protests that have seen nearly 50 demonstrators killed. “The Hamas terror organization is solely responsible for any terrorist activity coming from the Gaza Strip.”The military also stressed there was no connection between the strike and an earlier explosion in the central Gaza Strip city of Deir al-Balah Saturday evening that killed six Hamas members.On Friday, riots broke out at five locations along the Gaza-Israel security fence for the sixth consecutive week of demonstrations called “The March of Great Return” by Palestinian organizers. The marches each Friday are aimed, in part, at breaking a decade-old blockade of the territory that was imposed by Israel and Egypt after the Islamic militant group took control there in 2007. The Islamic militant group Hamas has said the protests would culminate in a mass march on May 15, with some officials suggesting a possible border breach at the time and others saying the protests might continue beyond that date. On the following day, Palestinians mark the "nakba," or catastrophe, to commemorate the anniversary of their mass uprooting during the 1948 war over Israel's creation. Palestinians are calling for an end to Israel's blockade of the territory and their right to return to lands their families fled or were expelled from during Israel's founding seven decades ago. Forty-nine Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces since protests and clashes began along the Gaza border on March 30, and hundreds of others have been wounded by gunfire. The army also said there was an attempt to “sabotage the security fence and to infiltrate into Israel.” It said the attempt was “thwarted” when soldiers arrived at the scene and the Palestinians involved returned to the Gaza Strip. The Israeli military has come in for criticism from abroad over its use of live fire, with U.N. chief Antonio Guterres and the European Union calling for an independent investigation, rejected by Israel. Israel says that it is defending its sovereign border, including nearby communities, and that its troops target only instigators.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) open fire on a group of Palestinian men trying to sabotage the Israeli-Gazan border fence, killing three and injuring two others. The IDF also attacks a Hamas outpost near the border, stating that the location was used to launch incendiary kites and other objects in an attempt to burn Israeli fields.