Out of control
Eight Palestinians killed by Israel fire on Gaza border
Large crowds of flag-waving Palestinian protesters marched toward the Gaza border fence with Israel on Friday, some of them throwing stones and drawing Israeli fire that officials said killed at least seven people.
It was the deadliest day in Gaza in several months.
The Palestinian Health Ministry said at least 1,000 Palestinians were hurt by live fire, rubbercoated steel pellets or tear gas fired by Israeli forces at several locations along the fence, but did not provide the breakdown.
The protests marked the launch of what Gaza’s Hamas rulers envision as a six-week-long campaign of mass sit-ins along the border, meant to spotlight the demand of uprooted Palestinians and their descendants to return to what is now Israel. It’s also seen as a new attempt by Hamas to break a decade-old Gaza border blockade.
On Friday, protests quickly spun out of control.
Israel’s military said thousands of Palestinians rolled burning tires and threw stones at forces stationed on the border, and that troops opened fire at the “main instigators.”
Palestinian witnesses said tens of thousands gathered in tent encampments set up at five sites at a distance of several hundred metres from the border, but that only some of them engaged in clashes.
Such mass gatherings near the border signal a new tactic by Hamas — and one that might prove more challenging to Israel’s military than previous smaller protests.
Military officials have said they will respond harshly to any breaches of the border fence. At the same time, a rising number of casualties will likely stoke more border tensions, a scenario Israel hopes to avoid.
The sit-ins are seen as a new attempt by Hamas to break a crippling, decade-old Gaza border blockade by Israel and Egypt that has made it increasingly difficult for the Islamic militant group to govern.
Other tactics over the years, including Hamas’ cross-border wars with Israel and attempts to reconcile with political rival Mahmoud Abbas, the West Bank-based Palestinian president, have failed to end Gaza’s isolation.
Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum praised the turnout.
“The large crowds ... reflect the Palestinian people’s determination to achieve the right of return and break the siege and no force can stop this right,” he said.
Friday’s actions are to be the first in a series of protests planned in Gaza in coming weeks. The protests are to culminate on May 15, the 70th anniversary of Israel’s creation, with a march through the border fence.
Palestinians commemorate the date as the anniversary of their mass displacement and uprooting during the 1948 Mideast war over Israel’s creation. The vast majority of Gaza residents are descendants of Palestinians who fled or were driven from communities in what is now Israel.