1 Palestinian killed, 40 injured in Gaza
Palestinians torched piles of tires near Gaza’s border with Israel on Friday, sending huge plumes of black smoke into the air and drawing Israeli fire that killed one man in the second large protest in the volatile area in a week.
At least 40 protesters were hurt, including five seriously, the Gaza Health Ministry said, but did not provide a breakdown of the types of injuries. Friday’s death brought to 23 the number of Palestinians killed in Gaza over the past week, including 17 protesters.
Friday’s march was the second in what Gaza’s Hamas rulers said would be several weeks of pro- tests against a decade-old border blockade of the territory. Israel has accused the Islamic militant group of using the protests as a cover for attacking Israel’s border, and has warned that those approaching the fence put their lives at risk.
On Friday, thousands of Palestinians streamed to five tent encampments that organizers had set up at various points from north to south, each about several hundred meters from the border fence. In one camp near the border community of Khuzaa, activists moved closer to the fence and torched large piles of tires, engulfing the area in black smoke meant to shield them from Israeli snipers. Israeli troops responded with live fire, tear gas and rubber-coated pellets.
KHUZAA, GAZA STRIP: