Friday, 27 April 2018

IDF kills Palestinian in Gaza border protests, local health officials say



GAZA – Israeli forces shot dead a Palestinian during protests along the border with Gaza on Friday, local health officials said.


The latest fatality brought the number of Palestinians killed by Israeli troops to 39 since protests began on March 30 — protests that Palestinians hope will shine a light onto their demand that their descendants be allowed to return to lands inside Israel. The number of protesters usually swells to several thousands after Friday prayers.



Palestinian medical officials said at least three youths were wounded by Israeli fire near tent camps along the Gaza-Israel border, as some demonstrators hurled stones and rolled burning tires toward the fence. Palestinian media also reported a Palestinian journalist wearing a vest marked “Press” was shot and wounded by IDF forces. The Jerusalem Post has not yet confirmed the report.





A Palestinian journalist who was shot by Israeli forces while covering a protest nearly two weeks ago died of his wounds on Wednesday, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry.





In a statement released earlier on Friday, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein called the loss of life was “deplorable” and that a “staggering number of injuries” had been caused by live ammunition.





Israel’s foreign ministry tweeted condemnation of the Hamas-organized march.





Named the ‘Great March of Return’, the protest action revives a longstanding demand for the right of return of Palestinian refugees to towns and villages which their families fled from, or were driven out of, when the state of Israel was created in 1948.


It has seen tent encampments spring up at several locations near the Israeli-imposed restricted zone along the 40km (25-mile) border fence and is scheduled to culminate on May 15, when Palestinians mark Nakba Day, or the Day of Catastrophe, commemorating their displacement 70 years ago.



More than 2 million Palestinians are packed into the narrow coastal enclave. Israel withdrew its troops and settlers from Gaza in 2005 but maintains tight control of its land and sea borders. Egypt also restricts movement in and out of Gaza on its border.


Jpost.com staff contributed to this report.





Article source: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Articles/Article.aspx/20863

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