Thousands march to Gaza for protest

Thousands of Gaza residents headed toward the border with Israel on Monday for a potentially bloody showdown as Israel prepared for the festive inauguration of a new US Embassy in contested Jerusalem.

Monday’s march was to be the biggest yet in a weeks-long campaign against a decade-old blockade of the territory. As crowds began to gather, Israeli troops fir- ing from across the border fence wounded two Palestinians trying to move closer.

The march is also directed at the inauguration of the US Embassy in Jerusalem later Monday. The relocation of the embassy from Tel Aviv has infuriated the Palestinians, who seek east Jerusalem as a future capital.

Monday marked the biggest showdown in recent weeks between Israel’s military and Gaza’s Hamas rulers along the volatile border.

It is the culmination of a campaign, led by the Islamic militant Hamas and fueled by despair among Gaza’s 2 million people, to break the decade-old border blockade of the territory by Israel and Egypt. Since weekly border marches began in late March, 42 Palestinian protesters have been killed and more than 1,800 wounded by Israeli army fire.

Hamas leaders have suggested a border breach is possible Monday, while Israel has warned it would prevent protesters from breaking through the barrier at any cost. With Israel and Hamas digging in, there is growing concern about large numbers of casualties.

The protest also marks the 70th anniversary of what Palestinians call their “nakba,” or catastrophe, a reference to the uprooting of hundreds of thousands who fled or were expelled from what is now Israel during the 1948 war.