Gaza protest despite ceasefire
Demonstrations to resume
GAZA, Palestinian Territory — Palestinian organizers of the weekly demonstrations in the Gaza Strip along the Israeli border said they’ll hold another protest Friday — in a key test of this week’s ceasefire between Israel and Gaza militant groups.
Tuesday’s ceasefire ended the heaviest fighting between Israel and Gaza’s Hamas rulers since a 2014 war.
The fighting was fuelled in part by the demonstrations. Since late March, thousands of Gazans have joined the Hamas-led demonstrations in a bid to end a crippling Israeli blockade.
Protesters frequently lob grenades, flaming tires and firebombs toward Israeli troops, who respond with tear gas and live fire. Some 170 Palestinians, many of them unarmed, have been killed by Israeli fire. Israel says it is defending its border against militant attackers.
Hamas had lowered the intensity of the protests in recent weeks as UN and Egyptian mediators made progress toward an unofficial agreement with Israel.
But then this week’s fighting erupted after a botched Israeli undercover military operation in Gaza.
Gaza militants fired 460 rockets into Israel, while the Israeli air force struck 160 targets in Gaza. The fighting left a total of 14 Palestinians, including 12 militants, dead.
An Israeli officer was killed during the Gaza raid, while a Palestinian labourer who worked in Israel was killed in a rocket attack.
In their announcement, protest organizers in Gaza urged people to demonstrate Friday “to thank the resistance” for battling Israel.
But in statements on Facebook, organizers also urged demonstrators to stay away from the border fence.