Third Palestinian dies of his wounds after Israel again opens fire on Gaza protesters
A Palestinian shot by Israel during protests on the Gaza border died of his wounds yesterday, taking the toll from mass Friday protests to three, including a volunteer medic.
The man, 40, was among more than 130 Palestinians wounded by Israeli bullets during Friday’s protests, even as an informal truce agreed to between Gaza’s ruling Hamas and the Israeli army largely held.
The Health Ministry identified the dead man as Ahmed Abu Lulu and said he was shot near the border east of the southern city of Rafah, where the two other Palestinians were also shot.
They were Ali Al Alul, 55, and volunteer medic Abdullah Al Qatati, 21, who was shot in the head by Israeli troops.
The ministry said that 131 of the hurt were taken to local hospitals and of those 85 had gunshot wounds. Five, including Mr Abu Lulu, were in serious condition.
Funerals for the three dead Palestinians took place yesterday, attended by thousands of people. Doctors and first responders were among the crowd in a show of solidarity for Mr Al Qatati.
A few thousand protesters had gathered in different spots along the border, setting tyres ablaze and throwing stones, but there were fewer people demonstrating than in previous weeks, AFP reported.
Palestinians have been demonstrating for nearly five months as part of the “march of return”, weekly protests against Israel’s blockade of the strip spurred by the US move of its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
The Israeli army claimed a grenade was thrown at troops guarding the border with northern Gaza, but there were no casualties. It said troops responded with tank fire against two Hamas posts.
Soldiers fired tear gas and live ammunition at demonstrators.
Also yesterday, Israel carried out an air strike, jeopardising the ceasefire, after it said a fire balloon was launched over the border of the Gaza Strip.
But the border was otherwise calm after a deal to end all rocket fire into Israel and air strikes on the Gaza Strip appeared to go into effect about midnight local time on Thursday.
There was no official confirmation from Israel or Gaza’s ruling Hamas but there were no air strikes on Friday.
Egypt said on Thursday that
it had been working with Israel and Hamas since Wednesday to prevent an escalation and continued attacks on the Strip.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday told the army to prepare for “every possibility”, an Israeli security official said.
There were reports that President Mahmood Abbas last week held talks with Israeli officials over a longer-term deal.
But Israel’s Haaretz newspaper, quoting an unnamed diplomatic source, said: “The ceasefire is not part of a wider agreement being negotiated between the two parties.”
The end of air strikes and rocket fire bring to a close three days of clashes between Hamas, its allies and Israel.
Fighting was sparked when Israeli tanks killed two Hamas military members who Israel accused of firing towards soldiers.
Maj Gen Herzi Halevi, the head of the army’s Southern Command, said the military had concluded the strike was made in error. “The men were not shooting at a border fence patrol of the Rotem battalion of the Givati infantry brigade.
“The shooting was part of a drill observed by senior Hamas leaders in the northern Gaza Strip. The army has sent messages to Hamas through Egypt acknowledging the error.”
Fighting escalated on Thursday as Israeli raids hit Gaza as Hamas and its allies fired more than 180 rockets and mortars on Wednesday night.
Three Palestinians were killed in the Israeli strikes, including a pregnant woman and her 18- month old daughter. Seven Israelis were wounded by Palestinian rocket fire.
A five-storey building in Gaza City housing a cultural centre and offices of Egyptian expatriates in the strip was destroyed. Israel claimed the building was being used by Hamas.
Officials from the group said that their nearby offices were untouched.
The head of Israel’s Labour Party, Avi Gabbay, hit out at Mr Netanyahu and Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman, accusing them of derailing talks of a longer-term settlement.
“Netanyahu and Lieberman. You have failed,” Mr Gabbay wrote in a tweet. “Is this the way to hold a negotiation?”
Leader of the opposition in the Knesset, Tzipi Livni, said that “this government has weakened the moderates and strengthened the radicals”.