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Palestinian shot dead by Israeli forces during Gaza protests

A Palestinian man has been shot dead by Israeli forces on the Gaza border. The Gaza Health Minist...
Newstalk
Newstalk

17.39 11 May 2018


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Palestinian shot dead by Israe...

Palestinian shot dead by Israeli forces during Gaza protests

Newstalk
Newstalk

17.39 11 May 2018


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A Palestinian man has been shot dead by Israeli forces on the Gaza border.

The Gaza Health Ministry (GHM) said a further 49 people have been injured as the "March of Return" protests along the border enters its seventh week.

At least 41 protesters have been killed by Israel fire since the protests began in late March - with some estimates going as high as 53.

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Seven people have been critically injured, including a 16-year-old boy who was shot in the face.

Over 1,700 people have been wounded by the Israel Defence Forces throughout the demonstrations.

The GMH said the man killed on Friday was a 40-year-old who was shot in the chest near the southern town of Khan Younis.

Palestinian paramedics carry a wounded man during clashes on the Gaza-Israel border, 11-05-2018. Image: Xinhua/Khaled Omar

Protests

Palestinian demonstrators are burning tyres and using tennis rackets to bat away tear gas canisters fired by Israeli troops as they fight a decade-old blockade of territory.

Israeli snipers and spotters have been seen along the border, with live rounds being used to repel protesters.

Israeli officials have rejected accusations of using excessive force - insisting soldiers are just protecting the border.

The Gaza leader of the Hamas militant group has suggested tens of thousands of Palestinians could storm into Israel on Monday.

Yehiyeh Sinwar said the crowds will be unarmed, peaceful but "like a starving tiger" in pent-up anger and unpredictability.

Israel warned it would prevent any border breach, sticking to open-fire policies, including targeting "main instigators" and those approaching the fence.

It has accused Hamas of using the protests as a cover to attack the border, insisting it has a right to protect it.

A Palestinian protester uses a slingshot to hurl stones towards Israeli security forces during clashes along the Israel-Gaza border, 11-05-2018. Image: Mohammed Talatene/DPA/PA Images 

March of Return

Since the Hamas-led marches began at the end of March, 53 Palestinians have been killed and more than 1,700 wounded from Israeli army fire.

The protests are part of a campaign to break the blockade imposed by Israel and Egypt in 2007 after Hamas overran Gaza.

The border march on Monday will coincide with the planned opening of the new Us Embassy in Jerusalem.

Donald Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital outraged Palestinians and leaders around the world, with the  Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas describing it as "the slap of the century."

On Tuesday, Palestinians will mark Nakba, or "Day of the Catastrophe," referring to the mass uprooting of Palestinians during the Mideast war over the 1948 creation of Israel.

The move saw hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were driven out of what is now Israel.

Additional reporting IRN


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