Family buries activist shot by Israeli troops

Hundreds of Palestinians gathered yesterday for the funeral of a woman killed by Israeli forces during a protest near the perimeter fence, this year’s first fatality from the weekly mass demonstrations, and Israeli aircraft struck two Hamas targets in response to rocket fire.

Amal al-Taramsi, a 43-year-old activist who had regularly attended the protests, was shot the day before. Al-Mezan, a Palestinian human rights group, said she was around 200 metres from the fence when she was shot in the head.

Of the 186 Palestinians killed since the protests were launched last spring, only three were women. A 21-year-old medic and a 14-year-old girl were killed last year. An Israeli soldier was also killed last year.

Amal’s mother, Halima, sobbed as she sat in the corner of her home waiting for her daughter’s body, which was wrapped with a Palestinian flag.

The Israelis ‘‘should leave our lands and let us alone to live in freedom,’’ she said, urging Palestinian factions to unite against Israel and US President Donald Trump.

Gaza’s Hamas rulers have orchestrated the protests, in part to call for the lifting of a crippling decade-long Israeli and Egyptian blockade.

The demonstrations draw Palestinians of all ages, but most gather several hundred metres from the fence. It’s usually young men who approach the barrier, hurling rocks and firebombs at Israeli forces on the other side, who respond with tear gas, rubber-coated bullets and live fire.

Israeli forces have shot and wounded thousands of Palestinians since the protests began. A number of fellow protesters attended yesterday’s funeral in wheelchairs or walking with crutches.

Israel accuses Hamas of using the protests as a cover for attacks and says it only uses force to defend its borders. –AP