Violence erupts again at Israeli border fence
GAZA, Palestinian Territory — Hundreds of Palestinians converged on the Gaza Strip’s border fence with Israel on Friday, trying to burn and rip through it before drawing heavy Israeli fire in one of the most violent incidents yet in five weeks of protests. Three Palestinians were killed and dozens were reported wounded.
The Israeli military accused Gaza’s Hamas leaders of orchestrating what it called a “serious and irregular” attack and said it would not tolerate similar activity in the future.
The violence came shortly after a top United Nations official urged Israel to refrain from using excessive force against the protesters.
At least 38 protesters have been killed by Israeli live fire and more than 1,600 wounded in the weekly protests since they began March 30. Israel has rejected the international criticism, saying it is defending its sovereign border and accusing Gaza’s Hamas leaders, who are organizing the protests, of using the crowds as cover to carry out attacks.
In Friday’s unrest, a large crowd gathered a few hundred metres from the border, with some throwing stones and setting tires on fire in what has become a weekly occurrence.
Late in the afternoon, dozens of young men broke away from the larger protest, moving south about 200 metres and approaching the fence. The crowd was trying to break through the fence with hooks and wire cutters when Israeli forces opened fire. Witnesses said three protesters briefly crossed into Israel and turned around.
Hundreds of additional protesters ran to the scene, and Israeli armoured vehicles sped to the site, firing barrages of tear gas. As gunfire erupted, the crowd dispersed. A dozen Palestinian ambulances jammed a dirt road, lining up to remove the wounded. Some in the crowd shouted “shahid,” or “martyr,” as bodies were taken away on stretchers.
Palestinian health officials reported three people killed and 611 wounded, including 138 hit by live fire in incidents along the border throughout the day.
The Israeli military said it had “thwarted” an attempted infiltration by Palestinian protesters and opened fire “in accordance with the rules of engagement” to halt the crowd. It released a video showing a young Palestinian man placing a burning tire along the fence in an apparent attempt to set it on fire.