Gaza erupts over 17 dead
A DAY of national mourning by Palestinians yesterday following the deaths of at least 17 people in Gaza saw a further 25 people wounded in clashes with Israeli security forces.
The latest violence came as Israel threatened to shoot anyone attempting to tear down fences on its border with Palestinian areas.
Meanwhile, UN SecretaryGeneral Antonio Guterres called for an i ndependent inquiry into Friday’s violence which left 17 dead and more than 1,400 injured.
Tension remained high along the 40-mile frontier in Gaza yesterday. The latest casualties were caused when Israeli troops confronted protesters and opened fire. Israeli sources claimed some of the demonstrators were armed and had rolled burning tyres, hurled rocks and thrown petrol bombs.
A general strike was called in the West Bank by Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas where protesters in the city of Hebron clashed with troops.
Thousands of people in Gaza also marched t hrough t he streets at funerals for those killed in t he clashes with Israeli security forces.
Tens of thousands of Palestinians have gathered on the border in recent days to demand the right of return for Palestinian refugees and their descendants to land in Israel.
The prot e s t s have been organised by t he Islamist group Hamas.