A Palestinian teenager was killed by Israeli forces in Gaza during the latest of weekly protests along the border with Israel on Friday, Palestinian health officials said.
Around 10,000 Palestinians gathered near the border fence, Israel’s military said. Most kept their distance, while some burned tires, the military said.
“Troops responded with riot dispersal means and fired in accordance with standard operating procedures,” an Israeli military spokeswoman.
The Israeli defence became more brutal when a 16-year-old Mohammad Jahjouh was fatally shot in the neck, while 25 others, including a local journalist, were wounded by Israeli gunfire.
Health officials in Gaza, which is run by the Hamas movement, say more than 220 Palestinians have been killed since they began weekly border protests on March 30 to demand the easing of Israel’s blockade on the territory and the right to return to land lost in the 1948 war of Israel’s founding.
Israel has ruled out any such right, concerned that the country would lose its Jewish majority.
Alarmed at the bloodshed, Egypt, the United Nations and Qatar have sought ways to improve conditions in the enclave.
Israel withdrew settlers and soldiers from Gaza in 2005 but maintains tight control of its land, air and sea borders. The wider Israeli-Palestinian peace process has been stalled for several years.
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