Gaza Border Protests Turn Violent

Tens of thousands of Palestinians protested at the Gaza-Israel border fence on Friday, marking the beginning of the “Great Return March”, a 45-day-long series of protests and events planned to culminate on May 15 – Nakba Day.

The protest organisers include Hamas and representatives of other Palestinian factions.

Palestinians erected five main camp areas along the Israel border for the protest, from Erez in the north to Rafah near the Egyptian border in the south. The Israeli military released video showing a row of snipers perched on a high earthen embankment facing the Gaza crowd in one location. People quickly scattered when they saw the drones approaching.

Palestinians attend a tent city protest along the Israel border with Gaza, demanding the right to return to their homeland, east of Gaza City March 30, 2018.

On Friday, protests quickly spun out of control. Israeli fighter jets targeted three Hamas sites after an IDF position was shot at in northern Gaza, according to an IDF statement.

Palestinians commemorate the date as the anniversary of their mass displacement.

About 65 Palestinians were injured in smaller protests in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Reuters reported. The continued closure has made it increasingly hard for Hamas to govern.

Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, considered a terrorist by Israel, the United States and others, played a casual game of football with youngsters.

One of the dead was Mohammed Abu Amar, an artist well-known in Gaza for carving Arabic calligraphy into sand on the beach.

Islamist Hamas movement leader Yahya Sinwar has been taking part in the tent city movement. Days later, following a rocket attack, Israel carries out a retaliatory raid on Gaza, killing a pregnant Palestinian woman and her daughter.

“Schools, universities as well as all government institutions across the country will be off on Saturday, as per President Mahmoud Abbas’ decision to declare a day of national mourning for the souls of the martyrs”, a statement issued on Friday said.

A Palestinian farmer was also martyred earlier when an Israeli artillery shell struck his land in the southern Gaza Strip. Another man was injured by shrapnel in the shelling.

He said the IDF used “pinpoint fire” wherever there were attempts to breach or damage the security fence. A Hamas-linked bus company ferried protesters to the area. It is marked not only by Palestinians within historical Palestine, but also by Palestinians all over the world.

Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum praised the turnout.

The U.N. Security Council is holding an emergency meeting to discuss deadly clashes in Gaza between Palestinians and Israeli troops. “Just a quiet protest”, he said to Israel Hayom, warning that “if there are Israeli provocations and if Israel deliberately harms protesters or our people we will mount a harsh response”.

The military said thousands participated in the clashes.

Gen. Eyal Zamir warned that militants were using the cover of riots to plant explosives “for terror attacks” along the border fence.

Hamas has said that Friday’s activities would be peaceful and the chief Israeli military spokesman, Brig.

Israeli officials had braced for the effort to turn violent, while Palestinian supporters of the march said they hoped to capitalise on those optics.

The military said its troops had used “riot dispersal means and firing towards main instigators”.

The protests are planned to last through mid-May, the 70th anniversary of the founding of Israel.