Border protest death toll hits 18

The Palestinian death toll in last week’s mass protest on the Gaza-israel border has risen to 18, officials said.

More than 750 Palestinians were wounded by Israeli fire in Friday’s protest, according to Gaza health officials, making it the bloodiest day in Gaza since the 2014 Israelhamas war.

Gaza’s Hamas rulers have not said if the final aim of protests, which are to continue off-and-on for six weeks, is an attempted mass breach of the border fence.

Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh on Sunday hinted at an escalation, saying last Friday’s protests had a “limit”, but that “next time, we won’t know where that line would be”.

Israel accused Islamic militants Hamas of trying to attack its border under the guise of protests.