Israel was sharply criticised at a UN&nbsphuman rights body on Friday for its killings of protesters in Gaza and treatment of the Palestinians, but Washington came to its defence.

The special session of the Human Rights Council was convened after the bloodiest day for Palestinians in years last Monday, when 60 were killed by Israeli gunfire during demonstrations that Israel said included attempts to breach its frontier fence.

"Nobody has been made safer by the horrific events of the past week," UN&nbsphuman rights chief Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein told the Council.

He said Israeli forces had killed 106 Palestinians, including 15 children, since March 30. More than 12,000 were injured, at least 3,500 by live ammunition. Israel was an occupying power under international law, obliged to protect the people of Gaza and ensure their welfare, he said.

"But they are, in essence, caged in a toxic slum from birth to death deprived of dignity dehumanised by the Israeli authorities to such a point it appears officials do not even consider that these men and women have a right, as well as every reason, to protest."

Israel says the deaths took place in protests organised by Hamas, the militant group that controls Gaza, which intentionally provoked the violence, an accusation Hamas denies.

Israel and the United States complain that the Human Rights Council, made up of 47 states chosen by the General Assembly, has a permanent anti-Israel bias because of the disproportionate number of countries hostile to Israel with UN&nbspseats.

Israel's ambassador Aviva Raz Shechter said the Council had relapsed to its worst form of anti-Israel obsession. The call for an inquiry was "politically motivated and won’t improve the situation on the ground by even one iota," she said.

"The loss of life could have been avoided had Hamas refrained from sending terrorists to attack Israel under the cover of the riots, while exploiting its own civilian population as human shields," she said. "It is Israel, certainly not Hamas, which makes a real effort to minimize casualties among Palestinian civilians."

The United States has stood by Israel during the past week's violence, which coincided with the opening of a new US&nbspembassy in Jerusalem. US&nbspchargé d'affaires Theodore Allegra said the Council was ignoring the real culprit of the violence: Hamas.

"The one sided action proposed by the Council today only further shows that the Human Rights Council is indeed a broken body," he said.

Two million people live in Gaza, most of them stateless descendants of refugees who fled or were driven from homes in what is now Israel at its founding in 1948.

The territory has been run by Hamas since 2007, during which time Israel has fought three wars against the militant group which denies Israel's right to exist. Israel and Egypt maintain a blockade of Gaza for security reasons, which the United Nations says has plunged Gaza's economy into a collapse.

In Gaza, residents told Reuters that Israel deserved its international criticism.

"Israel must be dismantled as a state and its leaders must stand international trial for their massacres against us since 1948," said Ibrahim Abu Galeb, 65, a refugee living in southern Gaza. "Israel occupied our land, displaced our people, killed our children’s dreams to live safely and it is behind our sickness and poverty."

The special session of the Human Rights Council was convened after the bloodiest day for Palestinians in years last Monday

Israel was sharply criticised at a UN&nbsphuman rights body on Friday for its killings of protesters in Gaza and treatment of the Palestinians, but Washington came to its defence. The special session of the Human Rights Council was convened after the bloodiest day for Palestinians in years last Monday, when 60 were killed by Israeli gunfire during demonstrations that Israel said included attempts to breach its frontier fence. "Nobody has been made safer by the horrific events of the past week," UN&nbsphuman rights chief Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein told the Council. He said Israeli forces had killed 106 Palestinians, including 15 children, since March 30. More than 12,000 were injured, at least 3,500 by live ammunition. Israel was an occupying power under international law, obliged to protect the people of Gaza and ensure their welfare, he said. "But they are, in essence, caged in a toxic slum from birth to death deprived of dignity dehumanised by the Israeli authorities to such a point it appears officials do not even consider that these men and women have a right, as well as every reason, to protest." Israel says the deaths took place in protests organised by Hamas, the militant group that controls Gaza, which intentionally provoked the violence, an accusation Hamas denies. Israel and the United States complain that the Human Rights Council, made up of 47 states chosen by the General Assembly, has a permanent anti-Israel bias because of the disproportionate number of countries hostile to Israel with UN&nbspseats. Israel's ambassador Aviva Raz Shechter said the Council had relapsed to its worst form of anti-Israel obsession. The call for an inquiry was "politically motivated and won’t improve the situation on the ground by even one iota," she said. "The loss of life could have been avoided had Hamas refrained from sending terrorists to attack Israel under the cover of the riots, while exploiting its own civilian population as human shields," she said. "It is Israel, certainly not Hamas, which makes a real effort to minimize casualties among Palestinian civilians." The United States has stood by Israel during the past week's violence, which coincided with the opening of a new US&nbspembassy in Jerusalem. US&nbspchargé d'affaires Theodore Allegra said the Council was ignoring the real culprit of the violence: Hamas. "The one sided action proposed by the Council today only further shows that the Human Rights Council is indeed a broken body," he said. Two million people live in Gaza, most of them stateless descendants of refugees who fled or were driven from homes in what is now Israel at its founding in 1948. The territory has been run by Hamas since 2007, during which time Israel has fought three wars against the militant group which denies Israel's right to exist. Israel and Egypt maintain a blockade of Gaza for security reasons, which the United Nations says has plunged Gaza's economy into a collapse. In Gaza, residents told Reuters that Israel deserved its international criticism. "Israel must be dismantled as a state and its leaders must stand international trial for their massacres against us since 1948," said Ibrahim Abu Galeb, 65, a refugee living in southern Gaza. "Israel occupied our land, displaced our people, killed our children’s dreams to live safely and it is behind our sickness and poverty."

Israel vilified at UN body for Gaza killings, but backed by US

A senior member of Gaza's Hamas rulers has said that all but a dozen of the 62 Palestinians killed by Israeli fire during Gaza border protests this week were members of the Islamist group.

The remarks made on Wednesday were seized upon by Israel in an attempt to fend off harsh global criticism over the deaths and prove they were orchestrated and led by the Islamist movement Hamas.

Israeli forces killed 60 Palestinians on Monday when tens of thousands of Palestinians had gathered near the border, while smaller numbers approached the fence and sought to break through.

For more than six weeks, marchers have been demanding the right to return to their homes seized by Israel in the 1948 war surrounding the creation of the Jewish state.

Two more Palestinians were killed on Tuesday as Palestinians marked the Nakba, or "catastrophe", commemorating the more than 700,000 Palestinians who fled or were expelled in the war.

The bloodshed continued to draw world attention as violence abated late Wednesday, on the eve of the holy Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.

Sporadic cross-border fire was a reminder of the situation's unresolved volatility, however.

Pope Francis said he was "very worried" by escalating violence in the Middle East, with Arab foreign ministers set to hold an "extraordinary" meeting Thursday to discuss the situation.

And Hamas strongman Yahya Sinwar warned the movement could return to armed resistance.

Meanwhile Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan lashed out at the international "silence" over the Gaza killings.

"If the silence on Israel's tyranny continues, the world will rapidly be dragged into a chaos where banditry prevails," he said.

Since border protests and clashes began on March 30, 116 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire across the Gaza Strip.

One Israeli soldier has been reported wounded in that time.

Monday's protests coincided with the transfer of the US embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, which has deeply angered the Palestinians who see the Israeli-annexed eastern sector of the city as the capital of their future state.

'Establish the facts'

Hamas said it supported the mass mobilisation of protesters, insisting however it was a peaceful civilian initiative.

The Israeli army accuses Hamas of using the cover of the demonstrations to approach and damage the border fence, including laying explosive devices and attacking soldiers, and insists its actions are necessary to defend the border and prevent mass infiltrations.

There have been numerous calls for an independent investigation into the deaths, with Britain, Germany and Switzerland among those supporting such action.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also called for an independent probe Wednesday, saying "it is imperative we establish the facts of what is happening in Gaza".

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said Egypt was in communication with both sides "so that this bloodshed would stop".

A senior member of Hamas said most of the Palestinians killed by Israeli fire during border protests and clashes this week were members of the Islamist group.

"Fifty of the martyrs were Hamas and 12 from the people. How can Hamas reap the fruits if it pays such an expensive price?" said Salah Bardawil.

He did not give further details about whether they were members of the group's armed or political wing, or what they were doing at the time they were killed.

The comments were welcomed by Israeli military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Conricus, who said Bardawil had "set the record straight".

"Take his word for it. This was no peaceful protest," he tweeted.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov however rejected the Israeli spokesman's "blasphemous statement" implying the Gaza deaths were of militants.

"I cannot agree with the fact that dozens of peaceful civilians, including children and infants, who were killed in these incidents were terrorists," he said.

Speaking to Al-Jazeera on Wednesday, Hamas's Gaza head Yahya Sinwar warned his movement could return to armed resistance.

"We have sent clear messages to the enemy via many international and regional leaders that if the blockade continues we will not hesitate to use military resistance," he said.

'Wrong side of history'

Guatemala on Wednesday inaugurated its Israel embassy in Jerusalem, the first country to follow in the footsteps of the United States' controversial move.

Speaking at a reception with Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales, Netanyahu said Israel had recorded "similar numbers" to those mentioned by Bardawil.

"Israel will continue to defend itself in all necessary means and not let those who call to destroy us breach our borders and threaten our communities," he said.

The US and Guatemalan embassy moves break with decades of international consensus.

Senior Palestinian official Saeb Erekat lashed out at Guatemala, saying its government had "chosen to stand on the wrong side of history".

Jerusalem's status is perhaps the thorniest issue in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the US embassy relocation infuriated the Palestinians.

Israel occupied the West Bank and east Jerusalem in 1967 and later annexed east Jerusalem in a move never recognised by the international community.

Israel considers the entire city its capital, while the Palestinians see east Jerusalem as the capital of their future state. 
&nbsp

A senior member of Gaza's Hamas rulers has said that all but a dozen of the 62 Palestinians killed by Israeli fire during Gaza border protests this week were members of the Islamist group

A senior member of Gaza's Hamas rulers has said that all but a dozen of the 62 Palestinians killed by Israeli fire during Gaza border protests this week were members of the Islamist group. The remarks made on Wednesday were seized upon by Israel in an attempt to fend off harsh global criticism over the deaths and prove they were orchestrated and led by the Islamist movement Hamas. Israeli forces killed 60 Palestinians on Monday when tens of thousands of Palestinians had gathered near the border, while smaller numbers approached the fence and sought to break through. For more than six weeks, marchers have been demanding the right to return to their homes seized by Israel in the 1948 war surrounding the creation of the Jewish state. Two more Palestinians were killed on Tuesday as Palestinians marked the Nakba, or "catastrophe", commemorating the more than 700,000 Palestinians who fled or were expelled in the war. The bloodshed continued to draw world attention as violence abated late Wednesday, on the eve of the holy Muslim fasting month of Ramadan. Sporadic cross-border fire was a reminder of the situation's unresolved volatility, however. Pope Francis said he was "very worried" by escalating violence in the Middle East, with Arab foreign ministers set to hold an "extraordinary" meeting Thursday to discuss the situation. And Hamas strongman Yahya Sinwar warned the movement could return to armed resistance. Meanwhile Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan lashed out at the international "silence" over the Gaza killings. "If the silence on Israel's tyranny continues, the world will rapidly be dragged into a chaos where banditry prevails," he said. Since border protests and clashes began on March 30, 116 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire across the Gaza Strip. One Israeli soldier has been reported wounded in that time. Monday's protests coincided with the transfer of the US embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, which has deeply angered the Palestinians who see the Israeli-annexed eastern sector of the city as the capital of their future state. 'Establish the facts' Hamas said it supported the mass mobilisation of protesters, insisting however it was a peaceful civilian initiative. The Israeli army accuses Hamas of using the cover of the demonstrations to approach and damage the border fence, including laying explosive devices and attacking soldiers, and insists its actions are necessary to defend the border and prevent mass infiltrations. There have been numerous calls for an independent investigation into the deaths, with Britain, Germany and Switzerland among those supporting such action. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also called for an independent probe Wednesday, saying "it is imperative we establish the facts of what is happening in Gaza". Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said Egypt was in communication with both sides "so that this bloodshed would stop". A senior member of Hamas said most of the Palestinians killed by Israeli fire during border protests and clashes this week were members of the Islamist group. "Fifty of the martyrs were Hamas and 12 from the people. How can Hamas reap the fruits if it pays such an expensive price?" said Salah Bardawil. He did not give further details about whether they were members of the group's armed or political wing, or what they were doing at the time they were killed. The comments were welcomed by Israeli military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Conricus, who said Bardawil had "set the record straight". "Take his word for it. This was no peaceful protest," he tweeted. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov however rejected the Israeli spokesman's "blasphemous statement" implying the Gaza deaths were of militants. "I cannot agree with the fact that dozens of peaceful civilians, including children and infants, who were killed in these incidents were terrorists," he said. Speaking to Al-Jazeera on Wednesday, Hamas's Gaza head Yahya Sinwar warned his movement could return to armed resistance. "We have sent clear messages to the enemy via many international and regional leaders that if the blockade continues we will not hesitate to use military resistance," he said. 'Wrong side of history' Guatemala on Wednesday inaugurated its Israel embassy in Jerusalem, the first country to follow in the footsteps of the United States' controversial move. Speaking at a reception with Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales, Netanyahu said Israel had recorded "similar numbers" to those mentioned by Bardawil. "Israel will continue to defend itself in all necessary means and not let those who call to destroy us breach our borders and threaten our communities," he said. The US and Guatemalan embassy moves break with decades of international consensus. Senior Palestinian official Saeb Erekat lashed out at Guatemala, saying its government had "chosen to stand on the wrong side of history". Jerusalem's status is perhaps the thorniest issue in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the US embassy relocation infuriated the Palestinians. Israel occupied the West Bank and east Jerusalem in 1967 and later annexed east Jerusalem in a move never recognised by the international community. Israel considers the entire city its capital, while the Palestinians see east Jerusalem as the capital of their future state.

Hamas official says 50 members killed this week on Gaza border

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday that the United Nations had "collapsed" in the face of events in Gaza where Israeli forces killed 60 Palestinian protesters on Monday as the United States relocated its Israel embassy to Jerusalem.

Turkey has been among the most vocal critics of the Israeli use of deadly force against protesters at the Gaza border and of the US&nbspdecision to open its new embassy in Jerusalem. It called for an emergency meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Istanbul on Friday.

Speaking at a dinner on the first day of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, Erdogan said the majority of the international community had failed to react to the events in Gaza.

The events in Gaza have also sparked a diplomatic row between Turkey and Israel, with both countries expelling each other's senior diplomats on Tuesday.

The dispute appears to mark the worst diplomatic crisis between the two regional powers since Israeli marines stormed an aid ship to enforce a naval blockade of Gaza in 2010, killing 10 Turkish activists and prompting a downgrade in diplomatic ties that lasted until 2016.

Erdogan, who described Monday's bloodshed as genocide earlier this week, said Turkey had launched initiatives to get the issue onto the UN&nbspGeneral Assembly's agenda. He said Ankara was pressing members of the UN&nbspSecurity Council to be more active.

The events in Gaza have also sparked a diplomatic row between Turkey and Israel

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday that the United Nations had "collapsed" in the face of events in Gaza where Israeli forces killed 60 Palestinian protesters on Monday as the United States relocated its Israel embassy to Jerusalem. Turkey has been among the most vocal critics of the Israeli use of deadly force against protesters at the Gaza border and of the US&nbspdecision to open its new embassy in Jerusalem. It called for an emergency meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Istanbul on Friday. Speaking at a dinner on the first day of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, Erdogan said the majority of the international community had failed to react to the events in Gaza. The events in Gaza have also sparked a diplomatic row between Turkey and Israel, with both countries expelling each other's senior diplomats on Tuesday. The dispute appears to mark the worst diplomatic crisis between the two regional powers since Israeli marines stormed an aid ship to enforce a naval blockade of Gaza in 2010, killing 10 Turkish activists and prompting a downgrade in diplomatic ties that lasted until 2016. Erdogan, who described Monday's bloodshed as genocide earlier this week, said Turkey had launched initiatives to get the issue onto the UN&nbspGeneral Assembly's agenda. He said Ankara was pressing members of the UN&nbspSecurity Council to be more active.

Turkey's Erdogan says UN has 'collapsed' in the face of Gaza violence

Palestinians rallied in Gaza on Tuesday for the funerals of scores of people killed by Israeli troops a day earlier, while on the Gaza-Israel border, Israeli forces took up positions to deal with the expected final day of a Palestinian protest campaign.

Monday's violence on the border, which took place as the United States opened its new embassy in Jerusalem, was the bloodiest for Palestinians since the 2014 Gaza conflict.

The death toll rose to 60 overnight after an eight-month-old baby died from tear gas that her family said she inhaled at a protest camp on Monday. More than 2,200 Palestinians were also injured by gunfire or tear gas.

Palestinian leaders have called Monday's events a massacre, and the Israeli tactic of using live fire against the protesters has drawn worldwide concern and condemnation.

Israel has said it is acting in self-defence to defend its borders and communities. Its main ally the United States has backed that stance, with both saying that Hamas, the Islamist group that rules the coastal enclave, instigated the violence.

There were fears of further bloodshed on Tuesday as Palestinians planned a further protest to mark the "Nakba", or "Catastrophe".

That is the day Palestinians lament the creation of Israel in 1948, when hundreds of thousands of Palestinians fled or were driven from their homes in violence culminating in war between the newly created Jewish state and its Arab neighbours in 1948.

A six-week campaign of border protests dubbed "The Great March of Return" has revived calls for refugees to have the right of return to their former lands, which now lie inside Israel.

It was unclear whether large crowds would turn up at the border on Tuesday for the climax to the campaign after the heavy fatalities suffered on Monday.

Palestinian medical officials say that 104 Gazans have now been killed since the start of the protests and nearly 11,000 people wounded, about 3,500 of them hit by live fire. No Israeli casualties have been reported.

Israeli troops backed by tanks deployed along the border again on Tuesday. The area was relatively quiet early in the day, with many Gazans at the funerals. Protesters are expected to go to the border later.

In Geneva, the UN&nbsphuman rights office condemned what it called the "appalling deadly violence" by Israeli forces and said it was extremely worried about what might happen later.

UN&nbsphuman rights spokesman Rupert Colville said Israel had a right to defend its borders according to international law, but lethal force must only be used a last resort, and was not justified by Palestinians approaching the Gaza fence.

More than 2 million people are crammed into the narrow Gaza Strip, which is blockaded by Egypt and Israel and suffering a humanitarian crisis.

Young victim

Thousands of mourners attended funeral rallies on Tuesday morning, many waving Palestinian flags and some calling for revenge.

"With souls and blood we redeem you martyrs," mourners shouted as they walked in the funeral of two Palestinians in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip.

In Gaza City, hundreds marched in the funeral of eight-month-old Leila al-Ghandour, whose body was wrapped in a Palestinian flag.

"Let her stay with me, It is too early for her to go," her mother cried, pressing the baby's body to her chest.

Speaking at a Gaza hospital earlier, her grandmother said the child was at one of the tented protest encampments that have been set up a few hundred yards inside the border.

"We were at the tent camp east of Gaza when the Israelis fired lots of tear gas," Heyam Omar said.

"When we got back home, the baby stopped crying and I thought she was asleep. I took her to the children's hospital and the doctor told me she was martyred (dead)."

Most of the protesters stay around the tent camps, but groups of youths have ventured closer to the no-go zone along the fence, risking live fire from Israeli troops to roll burning tyres and throw stones.

Some have flown kites carrying containers of petrol that have spread fires on the Israeli side.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas ordered a general strike across the Palestinian Territories on Tuesday and three days of national mourning.

Monday's protests were fired by the opening ceremony for the new US&nbspEmbassy in Jerusalem following its relocation from Tel Aviv. The move fulfilled a pledge by US&nbspPresident Donald Trump, who in December recognised the contested city as the Israeli capital.

Palestinians envision East Jerusalem as the capital of a state they hope to establish in the occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Israel regards all of Jerusalem, including the eastern sector it captured in the 1967 Middle East war and annexed in a move that is not recognised internationally, as its "eternal and indivisible capital".

Most countries say the status of Jerusalem - a sacred city to Jews, Muslims and Christians - should be determined in a final peace settlement and that moving their embassies now would prejudge any such deal.

Netanyahu praised Trump's decisions but Palestinians have said the United States can no longer serve as an honest broker in any peace process. Talks aimed a finding a two-state solution to the conflict have been frozen since 2014.

Netanyahu blamed Hamas for the Gaza violence. Hamas denied instigating it but the White House-backed Netanyahu.

"The responsibility for these tragic deaths rests squarely with Hamas. Hamas is intentionally and cynically provoking this response," White House spokesman Raj Shah told reporters.

Trump, in a recorded message on Monday, said he remained committed to peace between Israel and the Palestinians. He was represented at the embassy ceremony by his daughter Ivanka and his son-in-law Jared Kushner, US&nbspenvoy to the Middle East.

The Trump administration says it has nearly completed a new Israeli-Palestinian peace plan but is undecided on how and when to roll it out.

The United States on Monday blocked a Kuwait-drafted UN&nbspSecurity Council statement that would have expressed "outrage and sorrow at the killing of Palestinian civilians" and called for an independent investigation, UN&nbspdiplomats said.

Monday's violence on the border, which took place as the United States opened its new embassy in Jerusalem

Palestinians rallied in Gaza on Tuesday for the funerals of scores of people killed by Israeli troops a day earlier, while on the Gaza-Israel border, Israeli forces took up positions to deal with the expected final day of a Palestinian protest campaign. Monday's violence on the border, which took place as the United States opened its new embassy in Jerusalem, was the bloodiest for Palestinians since the 2014 Gaza conflict. The death toll rose to 60 overnight after an eight-month-old baby died from tear gas that her family said she inhaled at a protest camp on Monday. More than 2,200 Palestinians were also injured by gunfire or tear gas. Palestinian leaders have called Monday's events a massacre, and the Israeli tactic of using live fire against the protesters has drawn worldwide concern and condemnation. Israel has said it is acting in self-defence to defend its borders and communities. Its main ally the United States has backed that stance, with both saying that Hamas, the Islamist group that rules the coastal enclave, instigated the violence. There were fears of further bloodshed on Tuesday as Palestinians planned a further protest to mark the "Nakba", or "Catastrophe". That is the day Palestinians lament the creation of Israel in 1948, when hundreds of thousands of Palestinians fled or were driven from their homes in violence culminating in war between the newly created Jewish state and its Arab neighbours in 1948. A six-week campaign of border protests dubbed "The Great March of Return" has revived calls for refugees to have the right of return to their former lands, which now lie inside Israel. It was unclear whether large crowds would turn up at the border on Tuesday for the climax to the campaign after the heavy fatalities suffered on Monday. Palestinian medical officials say that 104 Gazans have now been killed since the start of the protests and nearly 11,000 people wounded, about 3,500 of them hit by live fire. No Israeli casualties have been reported. Israeli troops backed by tanks deployed along the border again on Tuesday. The area was relatively quiet early in the day, with many Gazans at the funerals. Protesters are expected to go to the border later. In Geneva, the UN&nbsphuman rights office condemned what it called the "appalling deadly violence" by Israeli forces and said it was extremely worried about what might happen later. UN&nbsphuman rights spokesman Rupert Colville said Israel had a right to defend its borders according to international law, but lethal force must only be used a last resort, and was not justified by Palestinians approaching the Gaza fence. More than 2 million people are crammed into the narrow Gaza Strip, which is blockaded by Egypt and Israel and suffering a humanitarian crisis. Young victim Thousands of mourners attended funeral rallies on Tuesday morning, many waving Palestinian flags and some calling for revenge. "With souls and blood we redeem you martyrs," mourners shouted as they walked in the funeral of two Palestinians in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip. In Gaza City, hundreds marched in the funeral of eight-month-old Leila al-Ghandour, whose body was wrapped in a Palestinian flag. "Let her stay with me, It is too early for her to go," her mother cried, pressing the baby's body to her chest. Speaking at a Gaza hospital earlier, her grandmother said the child was at one of the tented protest encampments that have been set up a few hundred yards inside the border. "We were at the tent camp east of Gaza when the Israelis fired lots of tear gas," Heyam Omar said. "When we got back home, the baby stopped crying and I thought she was asleep. I took her to the children's hospital and the doctor told me she was martyred (dead)." Most of the protesters stay around the tent camps, but groups of youths have ventured closer to the no-go zone along the fence, risking live fire from Israeli troops to roll burning tyres and throw stones. Some have flown kites carrying containers of petrol that have spread fires on the Israeli side. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas ordered a general strike across the Palestinian Territories on Tuesday and three days of national mourning. Monday's protests were fired by the opening ceremony for the new US&nbspEmbassy in Jerusalem following its relocation from Tel Aviv. The move fulfilled a pledge by US&nbspPresident Donald Trump, who in December recognised the contested city as the Israeli capital. Palestinians envision East Jerusalem as the capital of a state they hope to establish in the occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Israel regards all of Jerusalem, including the eastern sector it captured in the 1967 Middle East war and annexed in a move that is not recognised internationally, as its "eternal and indivisible capital". Most countries say the status of Jerusalem - a sacred city to Jews, Muslims and Christians - should be determined in a final peace settlement and that moving their embassies now would prejudge any such deal. Netanyahu praised Trump's decisions but Palestinians have said the United States can no longer serve as an honest broker in any peace process. Talks aimed a finding a two-state solution to the conflict have been frozen since 2014. Netanyahu blamed Hamas for the Gaza violence. Hamas denied instigating it but the White House-backed Netanyahu. "The responsibility for these tragic deaths rests squarely with Hamas. Hamas is intentionally and cynically provoking this response," White House spokesman Raj Shah told reporters. Trump, in a recorded message on Monday, said he remained committed to peace between Israel and the Palestinians. He was represented at the embassy ceremony by his daughter Ivanka and his son-in-law Jared Kushner, US&nbspenvoy to the Middle East. The Trump administration says it has nearly completed a new Israeli-Palestinian peace plan but is undecided on how and when to roll it out. The United States on Monday blocked a Kuwait-drafted UN&nbspSecurity Council statement that would have expressed "outrage and sorrow at the killing of Palestinian civilians" and called for an independent investigation, UN&nbspdiplomats said.

Gazans bury dead after bloodiest day of Israel border protests

The UN&nbsphuman rights office condemned Monday's&nbsp"appalling deadly violence" by Israeli security forces in Gaza and said it was extremely worried about what might happen later on Tuesday while calling for an independent investigation.

UN&nbsphuman rights spokesman Rupert Colville told a regular UN&nbspbriefing in Geneva that Israel had a right to defend its borders according to international law, but lethal force must only be used a last resort and was not justified by Palestinians approaching the Gaza fence.

Monday's violence on the border, which took place as the United States opened its new embassy in Jerusalem, was the bloodiest for Palestinians since the 2014 Gaza conflict.

There were fears of further bloodshed on Tuesday as Palestinians planned a further protest to mark the "Nakba", or "Catastrophe".

That is the day Palestinians lament the creation of Israel in 1948, when hundreds of thousands of Palestinians fled or were driven from their homes in violence culminating in war between the newly created Jewish state and its Arab neighbours in 1948.

Monday's violence on the border, which took place as the United States opened its new embassy in Jerusalem, was the bloodiest for Palestinians since the 2014 Gaza conflict

The UN&nbsphuman rights office condemned Monday's "appalling deadly violence" by Israeli security forces in Gaza and said it was extremely worried about what might happen later on Tuesday while calling for an independent investigation. UN&nbsphuman rights spokesman Rupert Colville told a regular UN&nbspbriefing in Geneva that Israel had a right to defend its borders according to international law, but lethal force must only be used a last resort and was not justified by Palestinians approaching the Gaza fence. Monday's violence on the border, which took place as the United States opened its new embassy in Jerusalem, was the bloodiest for Palestinians since the 2014 Gaza conflict. There were fears of further bloodshed on Tuesday as Palestinians planned a further protest to mark the "Nakba", or "Catastrophe". That is the day Palestinians lament the creation of Israel in 1948, when hundreds of thousands of Palestinians fled or were driven from their homes in violence culminating in war between the newly created Jewish state and its Arab neighbours in 1948.

UN warns of more Gaza violence, condemns Israel's use of force

Israeli forces deployed forces on Tuesday (May 15) across Israel's border with the&nbspGazaStrip in preparation for another day of protests after the single deadliest day in&nbspGaza&nbspfor years.

Israeli gunfire killed more than 50 Palestinians on Monday (May 14) on the penultimate day of a six-week border protest by&nbspGazans demanding the right to return to ancestral homes that now lie on the other side of the&nbspGaza-Israel frontier fence.

Palestinians had planned for protests to reach a climax on Tuesday, the day Palestinians commemorated what they call the "Nakba" or "catastrophe" when hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were dispossessed when the state of Israel was created in 1948.

Israeli troops shot dead dozens of Palestinians taking part in protests on the&nbspGaza&nbspborderon Monday (May 14) as the United States opened its embassy to Israel in Jerusalem, a move that has fuelled Palestinian anger and drawn criticism from foreign governments as a setback to peace efforts.

Israeli gunfire killed more than 50 Palestinians on Monday (May 14) on the penultimate day of a six-week border protest by Gazans demanding the right to return to ancestral homes that now lie on the other side of the Gaza-Israel frontier fence

Israeli forces deployed forces on Tuesday (May 15) across Israel's border with the&nbspGazaStrip in preparation for another day of protests after the single deadliest day in&nbspGaza&nbspfor years. Israeli gunfire killed more than 50 Palestinians on Monday (May 14) on the penultimate day of a six-week border protest by&nbspGazans demanding the right to return to ancestral homes that now lie on the other side of the&nbspGaza-Israel frontier fence. Palestinians had planned for protests to reach a climax on Tuesday, the day Palestinians commemorated what they call the "Nakba" or "catastrophe" when hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were dispossessed when the state of Israel was created in 1948. Israeli troops shot dead dozens of Palestinians taking part in protests on the&nbspGaza&nbspborderon Monday (May 14) as the United States opened its embassy to Israel in Jerusalem, a move that has fuelled Palestinian anger and drawn criticism from foreign governments as a setback to peace efforts.

Israeli forces take up positions on Gaza border in preparation for protests

US today officially opened&nbsp;its&nbsp;embassy in Jerusalem even as Palestinians continued to protest in Gaza.

The ceremony attended by President Trump's daughter Ivanka and her husband Jared Kushner takes places amid large-scale violence in Gaza were two Palestinians have reportedly been killed.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Watch LIVE the dedication of <a href="https://twitter.com/usembassyjlm?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@usembassyjlm</a>: <a href="https://t.co/KVhxC50Ywe">https://t.co/KVhxC50Ywe</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/USEmbassyJerusalem?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#USEmbassyJerusalem</a>
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) <a href="https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/996012453195649024?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 14, 2018</a></blockquote>
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The US government has made large-scale security arrangements with over 1,000 security men posted around the complex.

US ambassador to Israel David Friedman was given a standing ovation when he mentioned President Trump's name.

Friedman referred to the embassy's location as "Jerusalem, Israel" as the crowd cheered.

The US move comes after President Trump on December 6th had recognised&nbsp;Jerusalem as Israel's capital and decided to move the embassy to the holy city.&nbsp;

In Gaza, at least thirty-seven Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces as the US opened its embassy in Jerusalem.

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This is a great day for Israel. It’s a great day for America. It’s a great day for our fantastic partnership. But I believe it’s also a great day for peace. I want to thank Jared, Jason and David for your tireless efforts to advance peace and to advance the truth. <a href="https://t.co/Yg021Eth48">pic.twitter.com/Yg021Eth48</a>
— PM of Israel (@IsraeliPM) <a href="https://twitter.com/IsraeliPM/status/996085036154871809?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 14, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Thank you. Thank you, <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> Trump, for having the courage to keep your promises. 
 
Thank you, President Trump, and thank you all, for making the alliance between America and Israel stronger than ever! <a href="https://t.co/HmFBBdlkva">pic.twitter.com/HmFBBdlkva</a>
— PM of Israel (@IsraeliPM) <a href="https://twitter.com/IsraeliPM/status/996084024878739456?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 14, 2018</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

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US Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan addressed the gathering as officials cheered

US today officially opened its embassy in Jerusalem even as Palestinians continued to protest in Gaza. The ceremony attended by President Trump's daughter Ivanka and her husband Jared Kushner takes places amid large-scale violence in Gaza were two Palestinians have reportedly been killed. Watch LIVE the dedication of @usembassyjlm: https://t.co/KVhxC50Ywe #USEmbassyJerusalem — The White House (@WhiteHouse) May 14, 2018 × The US government has made large-scale security arrangements with over 1,000 security men posted around the complex. US ambassador to Israel David Friedman was given a standing ovation when he mentioned President Trump's name. Friedman referred to the embassy's location as "Jerusalem, Israel" as the crowd cheered. The US move comes after President Trump on December 6th had recognised Jerusalem as Israel's capital and decided to move the embassy to the holy city. In Gaza, at least thirty-seven Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces as the US opened its embassy in Jerusalem. This is a great day for Israel. It’s a great day for America. It’s a great day for our fantastic partnership. But I believe it’s also a great day for peace. I want to thank Jared, Jason and David for your tireless efforts to advance peace and to advance the truth. pic.twitter.com/Yg021Eth48 — PM of Israel (@IsraeliPM) May 14, 2018 × Thank you. Thank you, @POTUS Trump, for having the courage to keep your promises. Thank you, President Trump, and thank you all, for making the alliance between America and Israel stronger than ever! pic.twitter.com/HmFBBdlkva — PM of Israel (@IsraeliPM) May 14, 2018 ×

US opens embassy in Jerusalem amid violence in Gaza

The United States will open <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/square-near-new-us-embassy-in-jerusalem-to-be-named-after-president-trump-135514">its embassy in Jerusalem</a> today even as Palestinians clash with Isreali forces at Gaza.

The US move comes after <a href="http://www.wionews.com/videos/road-signs-of-us-embassy-put-up-in-the-streets-of-jerusalem-135262">President Trump on December 6th</a> had recognised &nbspJerusalem as the capital of Israel and had directed its embassy to be moved to the holy city from Tel Aviv.

Just hours ahead of the opening, two Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces as they opened fire on protesters.

State news agency MENA reported that the Arab League will hold a meeting to discuss the United States' "illegal" move of embassy to Jerusalem.

&nbspGazan health ministry said a youth, Anas Qudeih, 21, was shot dead east of Khan Yunis in southern Gaza as clashes erupted between Palestinians and Israeli forces.

President Trump's daughter Ivanka reached yesterday to inaugurate the US embassy on Monday evening amid high security.

Around 1,000 police officers will be positioned around the embassy for the inauguration, said spokesman Micky Rosenfeld.

The inauguration will be attended by nearly 800 guests which will be led by US Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan.

Sullivan called the embassy "a long overdue recognition of reality."

May 14th also marks the 70th anniversary of the founding of Israel.

Around 1,000 police officers will be positioned around the embassy for the inauguration, said spokesman Micky Rosenfeld.

The United States will open its embassy in Jerusalem today even as Palestinians clash with Isreali forces at Gaza. The US move comes after President Trump on December 6th had recognised &nbspJerusalem as the capital of Israel and had directed its embassy to be moved to the holy city from Tel Aviv. Just hours ahead of the opening, two Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces as they opened fire on protesters. State news agency MENA reported that the Arab League will hold a meeting to discuss the United States' "illegal" move of embassy to Jerusalem. &nbspGazan health ministry said a youth, Anas Qudeih, 21, was shot dead east of Khan Yunis in southern Gaza as clashes erupted between Palestinians and Israeli forces. President Trump's daughter Ivanka reached yesterday to inaugurate the US embassy on Monday evening amid high security. Around 1,000 police officers will be positioned around the embassy for the inauguration, said spokesman Micky Rosenfeld. The inauguration will be attended by nearly 800 guests which will be led by US Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan. Sullivan called the embassy "a long overdue recognition of reality." May 14th also marks the 70th anniversary of the founding of Israel.

US set to open embassy in Jerusalem amid clashes in Gaza

On Saturday, the only goods crossing between Gaza and Israel, Kerem Shalom, was closed until further notice. A separate people crossing in northern Gaza remains open.&nbsp

According to reports, Palestinian protesters had ransacked the Palestinian side of Kerem Shalom crossing in southern Gaza on Friday. The day also saw protests along the border.

No reports of damage were made on the Israeli side of the crossing. According to an army statement, the crossing will remain closed until the damages caused by the protests get fixed.

The crossing is the only way to transport goods, fuel and food in and out of Gaza.

Palestinian protests are expected along the Israeli border on Monday against the moving of the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.&nbsp

Palestinian protests are expected along the Israeli border on Monday against the moving of the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem

On Saturday, the only goods crossing between Gaza and Israel, Kerem Shalom, was closed until further notice. A separate people crossing in northern Gaza remains open. According to reports, Palestinian protesters had ransacked the Palestinian side of Kerem Shalom crossing in southern Gaza on Friday. The day also saw protests along the border. No reports of damage were made on the Israeli side of the crossing. According to an army statement, the crossing will remain closed until the damages caused by the protests get fixed. The crossing is the only way to transport goods, fuel and food in and out of Gaza. Palestinian protests are expected along the Israeli border on Monday against the moving of the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

Only Gaza-Israel goods crossing gets closed after violent protests

An explosion in Gaza killed five Palestinians on Saturday, health officials said, adding the cause of the blast was unclear.

An Israeli military spokeswoman said she had no information about the incident.

An Israeli military spokeswoman said she had no information about the incident

An explosion in Gaza killed five Palestinians on Saturday, health officials said, adding the cause of the blast was unclear. An Israeli military spokeswoman said she had no information about the incident.

Gaza blast kills five Palestinians, cause unclear - Health officials

Israeli troops fired live rounds and tear gas at Palestinians who thronged the Gaza-Israel frontier and rampaged at a border terminal on Friday as part of a long-running protest, injuring about 1,100 people.

Medics said around 82 people were shot and wounded with live fire, another 800 treated for gas inhalation and the rest for other injuries along the Gaza side of the 25-mile (40-km) border fence, where Palestinians set up tent encampments on March 30 for what they call "The Great March of Return".

Youths rolled burning tyres to within 300 metres (yards) of the fence, trying to use the smoke as cover for throwing stones across it while eluding Israeli snipers. Army gunfire has killed at least 43 Palestinians on the frontier over the last month.

Protesters said they used slingshots to down two small Israeli observation drones. The army confirmed the drone losses.

Hundreds of Palestinians entered Kerem Shalom, an industrial crossing point on the border. One of them said over social media that they had "torched rooms used by the Occupation (Israel)."

The Israeli army issued footage showing fires at Kerem Shalom, but said the damage was limited to the Palestinian side.

"The rioters are damaging the pipes that carry fuel and gas from Israel into the Gaza Strip," the army said in a statement.

Facing international censure over its use of live fire in the protests, the Israeli army says it is protecting its border and takes such action only when protesters, some hurling firebombs and trying to plant explosives, approach too closely.

On Friday, troops faced "10,000 Palestinians participating in riots in six locations along the Gaza Strip border," it said.

As Israel celebrates its 70th birthday, Palestinians mourn what they call the "Nakba" (Catastrophe) of their people's mass dispossession during the conflict that broke out in 1948.

"Give us a state"

Two-thirds of the two million Palestinians in Gaza are war refugees or their descendants. The protests have seen thousands gather - in greater numbers on Fridays - to demand access to their families' lost homes or lands, now in Israel.

Israel rules that out, concerned it would lose its Jewish majority. Alternatives, such as accommodating refugees and their descendants in a future Palestinian state, have been discussed in peace talks that date back to 1993 but which are now stalled.

"If it wasn't for the occupation we would have lived as free as people like in other countries," Ahmed, 24, said at a protest site east of Gaza City. "If they don't allow us back, at least they should give us a state."

Israel says the protests have been organised by Hamas - an Islamist group that controls Gaza and is sworn to Israel's destruction - to provide cover for attacks, and that most of the dead were militants. Palestinians deny those allegations.

Israel, which withdrew settlers and soldiers from Gaza in 2005 after a 38-year occupation, has expanded its settlements in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.

An added focus this year is President Donald Trump's decision to begin moving the US&nbsp;Embassy to Jerusalem on May 14, the 70th anniversary of Israel's founding.

Trump's moves angered Palestinian leaders, who have refused to talk to his administration, accusing it of pro-Israel bias. Israel's government celebrated the U.S. decision, saying it recognised the "reality" that Jerusalem was the historic capital of the Jewish people.

Visiting the Middle East earlier this week, US&nbsp;Secretary of State Mike Pompeo lent his support to Israel's handling of the border protests. "We do believe the Israelis have a right to defend themselves," he said.

Medics said around 82 people were shot and wounded with live fire, another 800 treated for gas inhalation and the rest for other injuries along the Gaza side of the 25-mile (40-km) border fence

Israeli troops fired live rounds and tear gas at Palestinians who thronged the Gaza-Israel frontier and rampaged at a border terminal on Friday as part of a long-running protest, injuring about 1,100 people. Medics said around 82 people were shot and wounded with live fire, another 800 treated for gas inhalation and the rest for other injuries along the Gaza side of the 25-mile (40-km) border fence, where Palestinians set up tent encampments on March 30 for what they call "The Great March of Return". Youths rolled burning tyres to within 300 metres (yards) of the fence, trying to use the smoke as cover for throwing stones across it while eluding Israeli snipers. Army gunfire has killed at least 43 Palestinians on the frontier over the last month. Protesters said they used slingshots to down two small Israeli observation drones. The army confirmed the drone losses. Hundreds of Palestinians entered Kerem Shalom, an industrial crossing point on the border. One of them said over social media that they had "torched rooms used by the Occupation (Israel)." The Israeli army issued footage showing fires at Kerem Shalom, but said the damage was limited to the Palestinian side. "The rioters are damaging the pipes that carry fuel and gas from Israel into the Gaza Strip," the army said in a statement. Facing international censure over its use of live fire in the protests, the Israeli army says it is protecting its border and takes such action only when protesters, some hurling firebombs and trying to plant explosives, approach too closely. On Friday, troops faced "10,000 Palestinians participating in riots in six locations along the Gaza Strip border," it said. As Israel celebrates its 70th birthday, Palestinians mourn what they call the "Nakba" (Catastrophe) of their people's mass dispossession during the conflict that broke out in 1948. "Give us a state" Two-thirds of the two million Palestinians in Gaza are war refugees or their descendants. The protests have seen thousands gather - in greater numbers on Fridays - to demand access to their families' lost homes or lands, now in Israel. Israel rules that out, concerned it would lose its Jewish majority. Alternatives, such as accommodating refugees and their descendants in a future Palestinian state, have been discussed in peace talks that date back to 1993 but which are now stalled. "If it wasn't for the occupation we would have lived as free as people like in other countries," Ahmed, 24, said at a protest site east of Gaza City. "If they don't allow us back, at least they should give us a state." Israel says the protests have been organised by Hamas - an Islamist group that controls Gaza and is sworn to Israel's destruction - to provide cover for attacks, and that most of the dead were militants. Palestinians deny those allegations. Israel, which withdrew settlers and soldiers from Gaza in 2005 after a 38-year occupation, has expanded its settlements in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem. An added focus this year is President Donald Trump's decision to begin moving the US Embassy to Jerusalem on May 14, the 70th anniversary of Israel's founding. Trump's moves angered Palestinian leaders, who have refused to talk to his administration, accusing it of pro-Israel bias. Israel's government celebrated the U.S. decision, saying it recognised the "reality" that Jerusalem was the historic capital of the Jewish people. Visiting the Middle East earlier this week, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo lent his support to Israel's handling of the border protests. "We do believe the Israelis have a right to defend themselves," he said.

Israeli troops fire shots, tear gas at Gaza protesters, 1,100 Palestinians hurt

&nbsp;The&nbsp;Palestinian&nbsp;Authority&nbsp;cut&nbsp;salaries&nbsp;for its staff in&nbsp;Gaza&nbsp;by 20 percent on Thursday and failed to make up for skipping the previous month's pay, leaving civil servants in the impoverished territory fuming they were pawns in a factional power struggle.

Some 38,000 civil servants in the&nbsp;Gaza&nbsp;Strip learned of the new disruptions to their incomes upon arriving at their banks on payday, intent on withdrawing cash ahead of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which begins on May 16.

Last month, they were not paid at all. Many were hoping for two months pay this month, but instead received a reduced rate of a single month's pay, with no explanation.

PA&nbsp;salaries&nbsp;in the other&nbsp;Palestinian&nbsp;territory, the Israeli-occupied West Bank, were paid in full.

The Islamist group Hamas seized control of&nbsp;Gaza&nbsp;from&nbsp;Palestinian&nbsp;President Mahmoud Abbas in 2007, prompting Israel and Egypt to clamp down on the territory, where 2 million people live under a de facto blockade with the world's highest unemployment rate.

In an Egyptian-mediated bid to end the rift and reunite the two&nbsp;Palestinian&nbsp;territories, Hamas said last year it would cede the territory's control to Abbas's&nbsp;authority. But many&nbsp;Gazans still feel like they are being used as pawns in a power-struggle between the two groups.

"If they've failed to resolve this issue through dialogue, it can't be resolved by (using) the poor employee," said Eyad Kalloub, a 40-year-old civil servant, as he queued at his bank.

The&nbsp;Gaza&nbsp;wage&nbsp;cuts&nbsp;were the second round in as many years imposed by the&nbsp;Palestinian authority, which still administers the payroll for civil servants in the territory run by Hamas.

In April 2017, Abbas slashed&nbsp;Gaza&nbsp;salaries&nbsp;by 30 percent. He has also slashed PA staff numbers in&nbsp;Gaza&nbsp;from 60,000 last year, by ordering early retirement for nearly a third of employees.

Palestinian&nbsp;Authority&nbsp;officials said at the time that those moves were meant to pressure Hamas to relinquish&nbsp;Gaza&nbsp;control. However, last month they blamed the&nbsp;latest hold-up in wages on technical problems.

Economists said the PA&nbsp;cuts&nbsp;would shrink the tax revenue collected in&nbsp;Gaza&nbsp;by Hamas - which it uses to pay 40,000 employees it has hired in the enclave since 2007.

That exacerbates Hamas budgetary shortfalls caused by Egypt's closure of smuggling tunnels from its Sinai peninsula to&nbsp;Gaza. The Islamist faction had collected tax on goods brought in through the tunnels.

More than half of&nbsp;Gazans depend on international aid, and 43.6 percent of workers are unemployed, the highest rate in the world. Basic utilities such as water purification and power have deteriorated.

Israel, which has fought three wars in&nbsp;Gaza&nbsp;in the decade since Hamas took over, bars a range of goods that it says could have military uses from entering the territory, making reconstruction difficult and costly.

Jamal Abu Gholy, 38, a civil servant, came to his&nbsp;Gaza&nbsp;bank hoping to draw on his April salary, only to learn that it had not been deposited. Instead, he owed the bank for an overdraft.

"What shall I do about Ramadan?" he asked, thinking of the festive meals which Muslims break their daily fasting over the course of the month. "I can't just put out cheese and jam. We tell President Abbas: please show mercy towards us."

Some 38,000 civil servants in the Gaza Strip learned of the new disruptions to their incomes upon arriving at their banks on payday, intent on withdrawing cash ahead of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which begins on May 16.

The Palestinian Authority cut salaries for its staff in Gaza by 20 percent on Thursday and failed to make up for skipping the previous month's pay, leaving civil servants in the impoverished territory fuming they were pawns in a factional power struggle. Some 38,000 civil servants in the Gaza Strip learned of the new disruptions to their incomes upon arriving at their banks on payday, intent on withdrawing cash ahead of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which begins on May 16. Last month, they were not paid at all. Many were hoping for two months pay this month, but instead received a reduced rate of a single month's pay, with no explanation. PA salaries in the other Palestinian territory, the Israeli-occupied West Bank, were paid in full. The Islamist group Hamas seized control of Gaza from Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in 2007, prompting Israel and Egypt to clamp down on the territory, where 2 million people live under a de facto blockade with the world's highest unemployment rate. In an Egyptian-mediated bid to end the rift and reunite the two Palestinian territories, Hamas said last year it would cede the territory's control to Abbas's authority. But many Gazans still feel like they are being used as pawns in a power-struggle between the two groups. "If they've failed to resolve this issue through dialogue, it can't be resolved by (using) the poor employee," said Eyad Kalloub, a 40-year-old civil servant, as he queued at his bank. The Gaza wage cuts were the second round in as many years imposed by the Palestinian authority, which still administers the payroll for civil servants in the territory run by Hamas. In April 2017, Abbas slashed Gaza salaries by 30 percent. He has also slashed PA staff numbers in Gaza from 60,000 last year, by ordering early retirement for nearly a third of employees. Palestinian Authority officials said at the time that those moves were meant to pressure Hamas to relinquish Gaza control. However, last month they blamed the latest hold-up in wages on technical problems. Economists said the PA cuts would shrink the tax revenue collected in Gaza by Hamas - which it uses to pay 40,000 employees it has hired in the enclave since 2007. That exacerbates Hamas budgetary shortfalls caused by Egypt's closure of smuggling tunnels from its Sinai peninsula to Gaza. The Islamist faction had collected tax on goods brought in through the tunnels. More than half of Gazans depend on international aid, and 43.6 percent of workers are unemployed, the highest rate in the world. Basic utilities such as water purification and power have deteriorated. Israel, which has fought three wars in Gaza in the decade since Hamas took over, bars a range of goods that it says could have military uses from entering the territory, making reconstruction difficult and costly. Jamal Abu Gholy, 38, a civil servant, came to his Gaza bank hoping to draw on his April salary, only to learn that it had not been deposited. Instead, he owed the bank for an overdraft. "What shall I do about Ramadan?" he asked, thinking of the festive meals which Muslims break their daily fasting over the course of the month. "I can't just put out cheese and jam. We tell President Abbas: please show mercy towards us."

Anger as Palestinian Authority cuts and pays Gaza salaries late

By:&nbsp;Mark Zeitoun and Ghassan Abu Sitta*

Gaza has often been invaded for its water. Every army leaving or entering the Sinai desert, whether Babylonians, Alexander the Great, the Ottomans, or the British, has sought relief there. But today the water of Gaza highlights a toxic situation that is spiralling out of control.

A combination of repeated Israeli attacks and the sealing of its borders by Israel and Egypt have left the territory unable to process its water or waste. Every drop of water swallowed in Gaza like every toilet flushed or antibiotic imbibed, returns to the environment in a degraded state.

When a hospital toilet is flushed, for instance, it seeps untreated through the sand into the aquifer. There it joins water laced with pesticides from farms, heavy metals from industry, and salt from the ocean.

It is then pumped back up by municipal or private wells, joined with a small fraction of freshwater purchased from Israel, and cycled back into people’s taps. This results in widespread contamination and undrinkable drinking water, about 90 per cent of which exceeds the World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines for salinity and chloride.

Incredibly, conditions are getting worse, thanks to the emergence of “superbugs”. These multi-drug resistant organisms have developed thanks to an over-prescription of antibiotics by doctors desperate to treat the victims of the seemingly endless assaults.

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The more injury there is, the more chance there is of re-injury. Less regular access to clean water means infections will spread faster, bugs will be stronger, more antibiotics will be prescribed – and the victims will be ever-more weakened.

The result is what has been termed a toxic ecology or "biosphere of war", of which the noxious water cycle is just one part. A biosphere refers to the interaction of all living things with the natural resources that sustain them.

The point is that sanctions, blockades and a permanent state of war affect everything that humans might require in order to thrive, as water becomes contaminated, air is polluted, soil loses its fertility and livestock succumb to diseases. People in Gaza who may have evaded bombs or sniper fire have no escape from the biosphere.

War surgeons, health anthropologists and water engineers – including ourselves – have observed this situation developing wherever protracted armed conflict or economic sanctions grind on, as with water systems in Basrah and health systems throughout Iraq or Syria. It’s now well past time to clean it up.

There is water – for some

It's not as if there is no fresh water nearby to alleviate the situation in Gaza. Just a few hundred metres from the border are Israeli farms that use freshwater pumped from Lake Tiberias (the Sea of Galilee) to grow herbs destined for European supermarkets.

As the lake is around 200km to the north and lies 200 metres below sea level, a massive amount of energy is used to pump all that water. The lake water is also fiercely contested by Lebanon, Jordan, Syria and Palestinians in the West Bank, each of which is seeking their legal entitlement to the Jordan River basin.

Meanwhile, Israel desalinates so much seawater these days that its municipalities are turning it down. Excess desalinated water is being used to irrigate crops, and the country’s water authority is even planning to use it to refill Tiberias itself – a bizarre and irrational cycle, considering the lake water continues to be pumped the other direction into the desert.

There is now so much manufactured water that some Israeli engineers can declare that "today, no one in Israel experiences water scarcity".

But the same cannot be said for Palestinians, especially not those in Gaza. People there have resorted to various ingenious filters, boilers, or under-the-sink or neighbourhood-level desalination units to treat their water. But these sources are unregulated, often full of germs, and just another reason children are prescribed antibiotics – thus continuing the pattern of injury and re-injury.

Doctors, nurses, and water maintenance crews meanwhile try to do the impossible with the minimal medical equipment at their disposal.

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Right now raw sewage is flowing into the Mediterranean Sea amid the Gaza Strip's electricity crisis. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/unrwalive?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#unrwalive</a> <a href="https://t.co/8ZT0Kv3OIG">pic.twitter.com/8ZT0Kv3OIG</a>
— UNRWA USA (@unrwausa) <a href="https://twitter.com/unrwausa/status/892024273182707716?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 31, 2017</a></blockquote>
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The implications for all those who invest in Gaza’s repeatedly destroyed water and health projects are clear. Providing more ambulances or water tankers – the "truck and chuck" strategy – might work when conflicts are at their most acute, but they are never more than a band-aid.

Yes, things will get better in the short term, but soon enough Gaza will be onto the next generation of antibiotics and dealing with Teflon-coated superbugs.

Donors must instead design programmes suited to the all-pervasive and incessant biosphere of war. This means training many more doctors and nurses, providing more medicines, and infrastructure support for health and water services.

More importantly, donors should build-in political “cover” to protect their investments (if not the local children), perhaps by calling for those who destroy the infrastructure to foot the bill for repairs.

And there is an even bigger message for the rest of us. Our research shows that war is more than simply armies and geopolitics – it extends across entire ecosystems.

If the dehumanising ideology behind the conflict was confronted, and if the excess water was diverted to people rather than to lakes, then the easily avoidable repeated injuries suffered by people in Gaza would become a thing of the past. Palestinians would soon find their biosphere a whole lot healthier.

*Mark Zeitoun is Professor of Water Security at the University of East Anglia, and former humanitarian-aid engineer throughout Africa and the Middle East and Ghassan Abu Sitta is a founder of the Conflict Medicine Program at the American University of Beirut, and has been a war surgeon throughout Europe and the Middle East.

(This article was originally published on <a href="http://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a>. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/gaza-now-has-a-toxic-biosphere-of-war-that-no-one-can-escape-95397">original article</a>.)

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL

The water of Gaza highlights a toxic situation that is spiralling out of control.

By: Mark Zeitoun and Ghassan Abu Sitta* Gaza has often been invaded for its water. Every army leaving or entering the Sinai desert, whether Babylonians, Alexander the Great, the Ottomans, or the British, has sought relief there. But today the water of Gaza highlights a toxic situation that is spiralling out of control. A combination of repeated Israeli attacks and the sealing of its borders by Israel and Egypt have left the territory unable to process its water or waste. Every drop of water swallowed in Gaza like every toilet flushed or antibiotic imbibed, returns to the environment in a degraded state. When a hospital toilet is flushed, for instance, it seeps untreated through the sand into the aquifer. There it joins water laced with pesticides from farms, heavy metals from industry, and salt from the ocean. It is then pumped back up by municipal or private wells, joined with a small fraction of freshwater purchased from Israel, and cycled back into people’s taps. This results in widespread contamination and undrinkable drinking water, about 90 per cent of which exceeds the World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines for salinity and chloride. Incredibly, conditions are getting worse, thanks to the emergence of “superbugs”. These multi-drug resistant organisms have developed thanks to an over-prescription of antibiotics by doctors desperate to treat the victims of the seemingly endless assaults. Less regular access to clean water means infections will spread faster, bugs will be stronger, more antibiotics will be prescribed – and the victims will be ever-more weakened × The more injury there is, the more chance there is of re-injury. Less regular access to clean water means infections will spread faster, bugs will be stronger, more antibiotics will be prescribed – and the victims will be ever-more weakened. The result is what has been termed a toxic ecology or "biosphere of war", of which the noxious water cycle is just one part. A biosphere refers to the interaction of all living things with the natural resources that sustain them. The point is that sanctions, blockades and a permanent state of war affect everything that humans might require in order to thrive, as water becomes contaminated, air is polluted, soil loses its fertility and livestock succumb to diseases. People in Gaza who may have evaded bombs or sniper fire have no escape from the biosphere. War surgeons, health anthropologists and water engineers – including ourselves – have observed this situation developing wherever protracted armed conflict or economic sanctions grind on, as with water systems in Basrah and health systems throughout Iraq or Syria. It’s now well past time to clean it up. There is water – for some It's not as if there is no fresh water nearby to alleviate the situation in Gaza. Just a few hundred metres from the border are Israeli farms that use freshwater pumped from Lake Tiberias (the Sea of Galilee) to grow herbs destined for European supermarkets. As the lake is around 200km to the north and lies 200 metres below sea level, a massive amount of energy is used to pump all that water. The lake water is also fiercely contested by Lebanon, Jordan, Syria and Palestinians in the West Bank, each of which is seeking their legal entitlement to the Jordan River basin. Meanwhile, Israel desalinates so much seawater these days that its municipalities are turning it down. Excess desalinated water is being used to irrigate crops, and the country’s water authority is even planning to use it to refill Tiberias itself – a bizarre and irrational cycle, considering the lake water continues to be pumped the other direction into the desert. There is now so much manufactured water that some Israeli engineers can declare that "today, no one in Israel experiences water scarcity". But the same cannot be said for Palestinians, especially not those in Gaza. People there have resorted to various ingenious filters, boilers, or under-the-sink or neighbourhood-level desalination units to treat their water. But these sources are unregulated, often full of germs, and just another reason children are prescribed antibiotics – thus continuing the pattern of injury and re-injury. Doctors, nurses, and water maintenance crews meanwhile try to do the impossible with the minimal medical equipment at their disposal. Things will get better in the short term, but soon enough Gaza will be onto the next generation of antibiotics and dealing with Teflon-coated superbugs × Right now raw sewage is flowing into the Mediterranean Sea amid the Gaza Strip's electricity crisis. #unrwalive pic.twitter.com/8ZT0Kv3OIG — UNRWA USA (@unrwausa) July 31, 2017 × The implications for all those who invest in Gaza’s repeatedly destroyed water and health projects are clear. Providing more ambulances or water tankers – the "truck and chuck" strategy – might work when conflicts are at their most acute, but they are never more than a band-aid. Yes, things will get better in the short term, but soon enough Gaza will be onto the next generation of antibiotics and dealing with Teflon-coated superbugs. Donors must instead design programmes suited to the all-pervasive and incessant biosphere of war. This means training many more doctors and nurses, providing more medicines, and infrastructure support for health and water services. More importantly, donors should build-in political “cover” to protect their investments (if not the local children), perhaps by calling for those who destroy the infrastructure to foot the bill for repairs. And there is an even bigger message for the rest of us. Our research shows that war is more than simply armies and geopolitics – it extends across entire ecosystems. If the dehumanising ideology behind the conflict was confronted, and if the excess water was diverted to people rather than to lakes, then the easily avoidable repeated injuries suffered by people in Gaza would become a thing of the past. Palestinians would soon find their biosphere a whole lot healthier. *Mark Zeitoun is Professor of Water Security at the University of East Anglia, and former humanitarian-aid engineer throughout Africa and the Middle East and Ghassan Abu Sitta is a founder of the Conflict Medicine Program at the American University of Beirut, and has been a war surgeon throughout Europe and the Middle East. (This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.) (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL

Opinion: Gaza now has a toxic 'biosphere of war' that no one can escape

Israeli troops shot dead four Palestinians on the Gaza-Israel border on Friday, bringing to 35 the death toll among Palestinians protesters demanding the right to return to their former homeland.

Gazans used catapults and sling-shots to launch stones at Israeli forces, and some Palestinians brought wire-cutters to cut through the border fence, ignoring leaflets dropped by the Israeli military warning residents not to approach the frontier.

The deaths included a 15-year-old boy shot dead in northern Gaza, Palestinian health officials said. At least 100 people were wounded by Israeli gunfire, the officials said.

The planned six-week protest campaign reached its half-way point on Friday, which saw smaller crowds than in recent weeks. As the numbers peaked during the afternoon Israeli soldiers called out warnings in Arabic over loudspeakers to anyone who approached the border fence.

Black plumes of smoke from piles of burning tyres billowed over the area, and stretcher-bearers rushed to carry the wounded to first aid posts.

The protest began on March 30, and has seen tent encampments spring up near the Israeli-imposed restricted zone along the 40km (25-mile) border fence. The protesters have revived demands for Palestinian refugees to regain their ancestral homes in what is now Israel.&nbsp;

The protests are scheduled to culminate on May 15, when, according to Hamas leader Ismail Haniya, the Gaza scenes would be replicated elsewhere on Israel's frontiers.

"I say to our people everywhere, be prepared for a human deluge on all of the borders of Palestine, inside the occupied land and outside the occupied land," he said on a visit to one of the border camps. "I say to the (Israeli occupiers) your time is gone."

Israel's use of live fire has drawn international criticism but the Israeli government says it is protecting its borders and takes such action when protesters come too close to the border fence.

The Israeli military said that around 3,000 Palestinians were involved in the latest protest, and that its troops responded "with riot dispersal means and are firing in accordance with the rules of engagement."

Israel accuses Hamas, the Islamist militant group which rules Gaza, of staging riots and trying to carry out attacks. Hamas denies this. Although organisers say the main protest is intended to be peaceful, some protesters have advanced toward the border from the encampments to hurl stones and burning tyres near the fence.

On Friday they fitted kites with cans of flammable liquid, which they flew across the border to start fires in Israel.

"We aim to distract the soldiers from shooting and wounding or killing our people," said Mohammad Abu Mustafa, 17, who lost his right leg a few months ago after being shot by an Israeli soldier. Israel's Foreign Ministry tweeted a photograph of one kite daubed with a swastika flying through the sky trailing flames.

Packed in

More than 2 million Palestinians are packed into the narrow coastal enclave. Israel withdrew its troops and settlers from Gaza in 2005 but maintains tight control of its land and sea borders. Egypt also restricts movement in and out of Gaza on its border.

The protest campaign, dubbed The Great March of Return, is leading up to May 15, when Palestinians mark Nakba Day, or the Day of Catastrophe, commemorating their displacement around the time of Israel`s founding in 1948.

It takes place at a time of growing frustration over the prospects for an independent Palestinian state. Peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians have been stalled for several years and Israeli settlements in the occupied territories have expanded.&nbsp;

US&nbsp;President Donald Trump's decision last year to recognise disputed Jerusalem as Israel's capital further fueled Palestinian anger.&nbsp;

In an apparent sign of concern over the bloodshed on the border, the Israeli-American Hollywood actress Natalie Portman announced she was pulling out of a ceremony in Israel to accept a million-dollar prize because of "distressing" events in the country.

In a statement, the Genesis Prize Foundation quoted a representative for Portman as saying: "Recent events in Israel have been extremely distressing to her and she does not feel comfortable participating in any public events in Israel."

It gave no further details of her reasons. But the foundation said it "admires her humanity, and respects her right to publicly disagree with the policies of the government of Israel".

Israel's culture minister, Miri Regev, suggested the actress was supporting the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement, which aims to isolate Israel economically over its treatment of Palestinians. Israel sees the BDS movement as an attempt to delegitimise it.

The Genesis Prize is awarded to individuals for excellence in their professional fields and "who inspire others through their dedication to the Jewish community and Jewish values"

Despite the warnings, two Palestinians were killed and 12 wounded by Israeli gunfire

Israeli troops shot dead four Palestinians on the Gaza-Israel border on Friday, bringing to 35 the death toll among Palestinians protesters demanding the right to return to their former homeland. Gazans used catapults and sling-shots to launch stones at Israeli forces, and some Palestinians brought wire-cutters to cut through the border fence, ignoring leaflets dropped by the Israeli military warning residents not to approach the frontier. The deaths included a 15-year-old boy shot dead in northern Gaza, Palestinian health officials said. At least 100 people were wounded by Israeli gunfire, the officials said. The planned six-week protest campaign reached its half-way point on Friday, which saw smaller crowds than in recent weeks. As the numbers peaked during the afternoon Israeli soldiers called out warnings in Arabic over loudspeakers to anyone who approached the border fence. Black plumes of smoke from piles of burning tyres billowed over the area, and stretcher-bearers rushed to carry the wounded to first aid posts. The protest began on March 30, and has seen tent encampments spring up near the Israeli-imposed restricted zone along the 40km (25-mile) border fence. The protesters have revived demands for Palestinian refugees to regain their ancestral homes in what is now Israel. The protests are scheduled to culminate on May 15, when, according to Hamas leader Ismail Haniya, the Gaza scenes would be replicated elsewhere on Israel's frontiers. "I say to our people everywhere, be prepared for a human deluge on all of the borders of Palestine, inside the occupied land and outside the occupied land," he said on a visit to one of the border camps. "I say to the (Israeli occupiers) your time is gone." Israel's use of live fire has drawn international criticism but the Israeli government says it is protecting its borders and takes such action when protesters come too close to the border fence. The Israeli military said that around 3,000 Palestinians were involved in the latest protest, and that its troops responded "with riot dispersal means and are firing in accordance with the rules of engagement." Israel accuses Hamas, the Islamist militant group which rules Gaza, of staging riots and trying to carry out attacks. Hamas denies this. Although organisers say the main protest is intended to be peaceful, some protesters have advanced toward the border from the encampments to hurl stones and burning tyres near the fence. On Friday they fitted kites with cans of flammable liquid, which they flew across the border to start fires in Israel. "We aim to distract the soldiers from shooting and wounding or killing our people," said Mohammad Abu Mustafa, 17, who lost his right leg a few months ago after being shot by an Israeli soldier. Israel's Foreign Ministry tweeted a photograph of one kite daubed with a swastika flying through the sky trailing flames. Packed in More than 2 million Palestinians are packed into the narrow coastal enclave. Israel withdrew its troops and settlers from Gaza in 2005 but maintains tight control of its land and sea borders. Egypt also restricts movement in and out of Gaza on its border. The protest campaign, dubbed The Great March of Return, is leading up to May 15, when Palestinians mark Nakba Day, or the Day of Catastrophe, commemorating their displacement around the time of Israel`s founding in 1948. It takes place at a time of growing frustration over the prospects for an independent Palestinian state. Peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians have been stalled for several years and Israeli settlements in the occupied territories have expanded. US President Donald Trump's decision last year to recognise disputed Jerusalem as Israel's capital further fueled Palestinian anger. In an apparent sign of concern over the bloodshed on the border, the Israeli-American Hollywood actress Natalie Portman announced she was pulling out of a ceremony in Israel to accept a million-dollar prize because of "distressing" events in the country. In a statement, the Genesis Prize Foundation quoted a representative for Portman as saying: "Recent events in Israel have been extremely distressing to her and she does not feel comfortable participating in any public events in Israel." It gave no further details of her reasons. But the foundation said it "admires her humanity, and respects her right to publicly disagree with the policies of the government of Israel". Israel's culture minister, Miri Regev, suggested the actress was supporting the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement, which aims to isolate Israel economically over its treatment of Palestinians. Israel sees the BDS movement as an attempt to delegitimise it. The Genesis Prize is awarded to individuals for excellence in their professional fields and "who inspire others through their dedication to the Jewish community and Jewish values"

Israeli troops kill four more Palestinians in border protest

The United States has cleared a grant for the media company started by the Palestinian journalist died in Gaza border clashes last week.

News agency Reuters said quoting a US official that US Agency for International Development has approved $11,700 in a grant for funding for his production company Ain media.

The grant is for technical assistance and equipment such as computers.

Yasser Murtaja who is a cameraman succumbed to injuries after being shot by Israeli troops while he was covering the protest.

Yasser Murtaja was a co-founder of Ain Media.

State Department spokeswoman, Heather Nauert said Murtaja had been vetted under US government guidelines during a press briefing.

"We are aware of reports that a journalist operating in Gaza was killed in the clashes in Gaza. I don`t have specifics about his particular case, but we are looking into it," Nauert told a regular press briefing.

Though the US has approved the grant for him but distanced itself from commenting on his shooting.

After the shooting, the Israeli government explained itself saying that the Israeli Defence Force was not intending to target journalists.

The Israeli army has will also&nbsp;an investigation into the journalist's killing.

Yasser Murtaj's killing was among the nine casualties in a&nbsp;total of Friday.

At least six journalists reportedly have also been shot and wounded.

&nbsp;

US Agency for International Development has approved $11,700 in a grant for funding for his production company Ain media

The United States has cleared a grant for the media company started by the Palestinian journalist died in Gaza border clashes last week. News agency Reuters said quoting a US official that US Agency for International Development has approved $11,700 in a grant for funding for his production company Ain media. The grant is for technical assistance and equipment such as computers. Yasser Murtaja who is a cameraman succumbed to injuries after being shot by Israeli troops while he was covering the protest. Yasser Murtaja was a co-founder of Ain Media. State Department spokeswoman, Heather Nauert said Murtaja had been vetted under US government guidelines during a press briefing. "We are aware of reports that a journalist operating in Gaza was killed in the clashes in Gaza. I don`t have specifics about his particular case, but we are looking into it," Nauert told a regular press briefing. Though the US has approved the grant for him but distanced itself from commenting on his shooting. After the shooting, the Israeli government explained itself saying that the Israeli Defence Force was not intending to target journalists. The Israeli army has will also an investigation into the journalist's killing. Yasser Murtaj's killing was among the nine casualties in a total of Friday. At least six journalists reportedly have also been shot and wounded.

US clears grant for Palestinian journalist shot in Gaza: Report

Israeli fighter jets targeted a Hamas "military target" in northern Gaza Monday in response to Palestinians infiltrating the border and laying bombs the previous day, the army said.

There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties from Gaza.

The Israeli strike came a day after suspects crossed the northern Gaza border fence, leaving "explosive devices" that were found by the army.

The border fence between the Palestinian enclave and Israel has become the backdrop of mass Gaza demonstrations that lead to deadly clashes.

Israel has faced mounting questions over its use of live fire after 10 days of protests and clashes along the Gaza Strip border in which its forces have killed 30 Palestinians, according to Gaza's health ministry.

Israel says it opens fire when necessary to stop damage to the border fence, infiltrations and attempted attacks.

It alleges Hamas, the Islamist movement that runs the Gaza Strip and with whom it has fought three wars since 2008, is seeking to use the protests as cover to carry out violence.

"The IDF (Israeli Defence Forces) views with great severity the Hamas terror organisation endeavours to turn the security fence parameter into a combat zone while attempting to damage security and defence infrastructure," the army said in its Monday statement.

Rights groups have harshly criticised Israeli soldiers' actions, and Palestinians say protesters are being shot while posing no threat to troops.

On Sunday, the International Criminal Court's chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda said she was opening a preliminary probe to determine whether there was enough evidence to launch a full-blown investigation into any alleged crimes committed by Israel or Hamas.

There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties from Gaza

Israeli fighter jets targeted a Hamas "military target" in northern Gaza Monday in response to Palestinians infiltrating the border and laying bombs the previous day, the army said. There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties from Gaza. The Israeli strike came a day after suspects crossed the northern Gaza border fence, leaving "explosive devices" that were found by the army. The border fence between the Palestinian enclave and Israel has become the backdrop of mass Gaza demonstrations that lead to deadly clashes. Israel has faced mounting questions over its use of live fire after 10 days of protests and clashes along the Gaza Strip border in which its forces have killed 30 Palestinians, according to Gaza's health ministry. Israel says it opens fire when necessary to stop damage to the border fence, infiltrations and attempted attacks. It alleges Hamas, the Islamist movement that runs the Gaza Strip and with whom it has fought three wars since 2008, is seeking to use the protests as cover to carry out violence. "The IDF (Israeli Defence Forces) views with great severity the Hamas terror organisation endeavours to turn the security fence parameter into a combat zone while attempting to damage security and defence infrastructure," the army said in its Monday statement. Rights groups have harshly criticised Israeli soldiers' actions, and Palestinians say protesters are being shot while posing no threat to troops. On Sunday, the International Criminal Court's chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda said she was opening a preliminary probe to determine whether there was enough evidence to launch a full-blown investigation into any alleged crimes committed by Israel or Hamas.

Israeli jets target Gaza position after 'infiltration attempt'

The world war crimes court's chief prosecutor Sunday called for an end to ongoing bloodshed in the Gaza Strip, warning that the court could try those who commit gross atrocities.

"The resort to violence must stop," Fatou Bensouda said in a statement issued by the International Criminal Court, based in The Hague.

"Any person who incites or engages in acts of violence including by ordering, requesting, encouraging or contributing in any other manner to the commission of crimes within ICC`s jurisdiction is liable to prosecution before the Court," Bensouda said.

Israel is facing mounting questions over the use of live fire that left some 30 Palestinians dead in 10 days of protests and clashes along the Gaza Strip border.&nbsp

Violence spiked again on Friday, when clashes erupted as thousands protested along the border, and nine Palestinians, including a journalist, were killed.

Palestinian authorities signed up to the ICC`s founding Rome Statute document in early January 2015 in which they accepted the court`s jurisdiction.

Shortly afterwards, Bensouda announced she was opening a preliminary probe to determine whether there was enough evidence to launch a full-blown investigation into any alleged crimes committed in the Palestinian territories since June 2014.&nbsp

Reacting to the latest escalation, Bensouda said "violence against civilians... could constitute crimes under the Rome Statute, as could the use of civilian presence for the purpose of shielding military activities."&nbsp

Any new alleged crimes "committed in the context of the situation in Palestine may be subjected to my office`s scrutiny," Bensouda said.

The ICC is the world`s only independent permanent tribunal, set up in 2002 to probe the worst crimes including genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.

&nbsp

The world war crimes court's chief prosecutor Sunday called for an end to ongoing bloodshed in the Gaza Strip, warning that the court could try those who commit gross atrocities

The world war crimes court's chief prosecutor Sunday called for an end to ongoing bloodshed in the Gaza Strip, warning that the court could try those who commit gross atrocities. "The resort to violence must stop," Fatou Bensouda said in a statement issued by the International Criminal Court, based in The Hague. "Any person who incites or engages in acts of violence including by ordering, requesting, encouraging or contributing in any other manner to the commission of crimes within ICC`s jurisdiction is liable to prosecution before the Court," Bensouda said. Israel is facing mounting questions over the use of live fire that left some 30 Palestinians dead in 10 days of protests and clashes along the Gaza Strip border. Violence spiked again on Friday, when clashes erupted as thousands protested along the border, and nine Palestinians, including a journalist, were killed. Palestinian authorities signed up to the ICC`s founding Rome Statute document in early January 2015 in which they accepted the court`s jurisdiction. Shortly afterwards, Bensouda announced she was opening a preliminary probe to determine whether there was enough evidence to launch a full-blown investigation into any alleged crimes committed in the Palestinian territories since June 2014. Reacting to the latest escalation, Bensouda said "violence against civilians... could constitute crimes under the Rome Statute, as could the use of civilian presence for the purpose of shielding military activities." Any new alleged crimes "committed in the context of the situation in Palestine may be subjected to my office`s scrutiny," Bensouda said. The ICC is the world`s only independent permanent tribunal, set up in 2002 to probe the worst crimes including genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Gaza war crimes may be prosecuted: ICC prosecutor

Palestinians readied Thursday for new protests along the Gaza border and Israel warned that its open-fire rules would not change as fears of fresh violence rose a week after the bloodiest day in years.

Thousands of Palestinians are again expected to gather at five spots near the Gaza border on Friday, while Israeli soldiers and snipers will take up positions on the other side of the fence.

Protest organisers said they were planning to try to stop smaller numbers of protesters approaching the fence and hurling stones or rolling burning tyres at Israeli troops, who killed 18 Palestinians last Friday.

It was the bloodiest day since a 2014 war. Another two Gazans have been killed since.

But widespread social media calls for protesters to bring tyres to burn and Israel's pledge to prevent damage to the fence and infiltration attempts have raised fears of more deaths.

Young Palestinians have been gathering tyres and carting them near the border to burn and create a smokescreen to make it harder for Israeli snipers.

Some have been walking the streets collecting money to buy tyres.

Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman vowed that open-fire rules would not change.

"If there are provocations, there will be a reaction of the harshest kind like last week," Lieberman told public radio.

"We do not intend to change the rules of engagement."

'A mistake' 
Last Friday's protest near the Gaza border was attended by tens of thousands of Palestinians.&nbsp;

A smaller number strayed from the main protest and approached the heavily fortified fence on the border with Israel.

Israel says troops opened fire only when necessary against those throwing stones and firebombs or rolling tyres at soldiers.

It said there were attempts to damage the fence and infiltrate Israel, while alleging there was also an attempted gun attack against soldiers along the border.

It accuses Hamas, the Islamist movement that runs the Gaza Strip and with whom it has fought three wars since 2008, of using the protests as cover to carry out violence.

But questions have mounted over Israel's use of live fire, with Palestinians saying protesters were fired on while posing no threat to soldiers.

Rights groups have criticised the army's actions, while the European Union and UN chief Antonio Guterres have called for an independent investigation.

Human Rights Watch called the deaths "calculated" and illegal.

On Thursday, an Israeli rights group launched a prominent campaign calling on soldiers to refuse to fire on unarmed Palestinians.

The campaign led Israel's public security minister to suggest the rights group, B'Tselem, should be investigated for calling for sedition.

Hamas has meanwhile offered compensation of $3,000 to the families of protesters killed and $500 for those seriously injured.

The protests calling for Palestinian refugees to be able to return to their former lands in what is now Israel are supposed to last six weeks, coinciding with the expected opening of the new US embassy in Jerusalem in mid-May.

The US embassy move has led to deep anger among Palestinians, who see the annexed eastern sector of Jerusalem as the capital of their future state.

Asaad abu Sharkh, a spokesman and member of the organising committee of the protests dubbed the Great March of Return, said better attempts will be made on Friday to keep Gazans from approaching the fence.

"I think this was a mistake, a mistake of organisation from us because we shouldn't have let people (go to the border)," he said.&nbsp;

"But at the same time we were not expecting the Israelis to shoot to kill."&nbsp;

He added that "I don't think there is going to be another massacre."

Israel says more than half of the dead were members of militant groups, including the armed wing of Hamas.&nbsp;

Hamas's armed wing has claimed only five of them, saying they were participating "in popular events side-by-side with their people".

Militant group Islamic Jihad has claimed at least one of the dead as a member, but said he was not carrying a weapon when he was shot.

'To Jerusalem we go' 
Smaller protests have continued since Friday, while preparations for the large demonstration for this coming Friday have also been underway.

On Wednesday, a few hundred people gathered near the border east of Gaza City, with some performing the traditional Palestinian dabke dance near specially erected tents.

A newly married couple celebrated by driving near the crowd, while a group of children sang the Palestinian chant of "To Jerusalem we go, with millions of martyrs."

Closer to the fence, dozens of mostly young men hurled stones in the direction of Israeli soldiers leaning over a ridge on the other side of the dusty border.

A 50-year-old, who would only give his name as Abu Mohammed, was trying in vain to reflect the light off a small mirror into the snipers' eyes.

Like other protesters, 21-year-old Mutassim Abu Qumboz cited the crippled economy in the blockaded enclave as his reason for coming out.

He said he knew the protest was unlikely to achieve anything in the short term, but "we will send a message."

Thousands of Palestinians are again expected to gather at five spots near the Gaza border on Friday, while Israeli soldiers and snipers will take up positions on the other side of the fence

Palestinians readied Thursday for new protests along the Gaza border and Israel warned that its open-fire rules would not change as fears of fresh violence rose a week after the bloodiest day in years. Thousands of Palestinians are again expected to gather at five spots near the Gaza border on Friday, while Israeli soldiers and snipers will take up positions on the other side of the fence. Protest organisers said they were planning to try to stop smaller numbers of protesters approaching the fence and hurling stones or rolling burning tyres at Israeli troops, who killed 18 Palestinians last Friday. It was the bloodiest day since a 2014 war. Another two Gazans have been killed since. But widespread social media calls for protesters to bring tyres to burn and Israel's pledge to prevent damage to the fence and infiltration attempts have raised fears of more deaths. Young Palestinians have been gathering tyres and carting them near the border to burn and create a smokescreen to make it harder for Israeli snipers. Some have been walking the streets collecting money to buy tyres. Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman vowed that open-fire rules would not change. "If there are provocations, there will be a reaction of the harshest kind like last week," Lieberman told public radio. "We do not intend to change the rules of engagement." 'A mistake' Last Friday's protest near the Gaza border was attended by tens of thousands of Palestinians. A smaller number strayed from the main protest and approached the heavily fortified fence on the border with Israel. Israel says troops opened fire only when necessary against those throwing stones and firebombs or rolling tyres at soldiers. It said there were attempts to damage the fence and infiltrate Israel, while alleging there was also an attempted gun attack against soldiers along the border. It accuses Hamas, the Islamist movement that runs the Gaza Strip and with whom it has fought three wars since 2008, of using the protests as cover to carry out violence. But questions have mounted over Israel's use of live fire, with Palestinians saying protesters were fired on while posing no threat to soldiers. Rights groups have criticised the army's actions, while the European Union and UN chief Antonio Guterres have called for an independent investigation. Human Rights Watch called the deaths "calculated" and illegal. On Thursday, an Israeli rights group launched a prominent campaign calling on soldiers to refuse to fire on unarmed Palestinians. The campaign led Israel's public security minister to suggest the rights group, B'Tselem, should be investigated for calling for sedition. Hamas has meanwhile offered compensation of $3,000 to the families of protesters killed and $500 for those seriously injured. The protests calling for Palestinian refugees to be able to return to their former lands in what is now Israel are supposed to last six weeks, coinciding with the expected opening of the new US embassy in Jerusalem in mid-May. The US embassy move has led to deep anger among Palestinians, who see the annexed eastern sector of Jerusalem as the capital of their future state. Asaad abu Sharkh, a spokesman and member of the organising committee of the protests dubbed the Great March of Return, said better attempts will be made on Friday to keep Gazans from approaching the fence. "I think this was a mistake, a mistake of organisation from us because we shouldn't have let people (go to the border)," he said. "But at the same time we were not expecting the Israelis to shoot to kill." He added that "I don't think there is going to be another massacre." Israel says more than half of the dead were members of militant groups, including the armed wing of Hamas. Hamas's armed wing has claimed only five of them, saying they were participating "in popular events side-by-side with their people". Militant group Islamic Jihad has claimed at least one of the dead as a member, but said he was not carrying a weapon when he was shot. 'To Jerusalem we go' Smaller protests have continued since Friday, while preparations for the large demonstration for this coming Friday have also been underway. On Wednesday, a few hundred people gathered near the border east of Gaza City, with some performing the traditional Palestinian dabke dance near specially erected tents. A newly married couple celebrated by driving near the crowd, while a group of children sang the Palestinian chant of "To Jerusalem we go, with millions of martyrs." Closer to the fence, dozens of mostly young men hurled stones in the direction of Israeli soldiers leaning over a ridge on the other side of the dusty border. A 50-year-old, who would only give his name as Abu Mohammed, was trying in vain to reflect the light off a small mirror into the snipers' eyes. Like other protesters, 21-year-old Mutassim Abu Qumboz cited the crippled economy in the blockaded enclave as his reason for coming out. He said he knew the protest was unlikely to achieve anything in the short term, but "we will send a message."

Fresh fears of violence ahead of new Gaza protest

France urged Israel on Sunday to show restraint following its military response to Palestinian demonstrations on the Gaza-Israel border that killed at least 15.

"France reminds the Israeli authorities of their duty to protect civilians and urges them to show the greatest restraint," a Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said in a statement.

"France also highlights the Palestinians'&nbspright to peacefully demonstrate," she added.

Israel's defence minister rejected calls for an independent investigation by UN&nbspSecretary-General Antonio Guterres, Federica Mogherini, the European Union's foreign policy chief, and other leaders.

Israel's defence minister rejected calls for an independent investigation by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres

France urged Israel on Sunday to show restraint following its military response to Palestinian demonstrations on the Gaza-Israel border that killed at least 15. "France reminds the Israeli authorities of their duty to protect civilians and urges them to show the greatest restraint," a Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said in a statement. "France also highlights the Palestinians'&nbspright to peacefully demonstrate," she added. Israel's defence minister rejected calls for an independent investigation by UN&nbspSecretary-General Antonio Guterres, Federica Mogherini, the European Union's foreign policy chief, and other leaders.

France urges Israeli restraint after Gaza deaths

<a href="http://cmsuat.wionews.com/india-news/indore-building-collapse-death-toll-rises-to-10-127558">Indore building collapse: Death toll rises to 10</a>

At least 10 were killed in a building collapse in Madhya Pradesh's Indore last night. According to reports, a four storeyed-building in Sarwate area collapsed around 9:20 pm last night.

<a href="http://cmsuat.wionews.com/world/gaza-sees-bloodiest-day-in-years-127556">Gaza sees </a><a href="http://cmsuat.wionews.com/world/gaza-sees-bloodiest-day-in-years-127556">bloodiest</a><a href="http://cmsuat.wionews.com/world/gaza-sees-bloodiest-day-in-years-127556"> day in years</a>

Gazans buried their dead on Saturday with calls for "revenge" a day after a mass protest led to clashes that saw Israeli forces kill 16 Palestinians in the bloodiest day since a 2014 war.

<a href="http://cmsuat.wionews.com/india-news/two-encounters-in-kashmir-1-terrorist-killed-one-held-127564">Two encounters in Kashmir 1 terrorist killed, one held</a> 
 
An encounter between security forces and terrorists in Dialgam area of Anantnag, Jammu and Kashmir got one terrorist killed while another has been held. The operation has finally come to an end.

<a href="http://cmsuat.wionews.com/sports/epl-manchester-city-one-win-away-from-title-127565">EPL: Manchester City one win away from </a><a href="http://cmsuat.wionews.com/sports/epl-manchester-city-one-win-away-from-title-127565">title</a> 
 
Pep Guardiola's side, who will be champions if they win next Saturday's Manchester derby, grabbed the lead in the fourth minute through Leroy Sane's sizzling volley from a tight angle at the back post after a pinpoint cross from David Silva.

<a href="http://cmsuat.wionews.com/india-news/the-indian-beauty-queen-that-no-one-has-heard-of-127568">The Indian beauty queen that no one has heard of</a> 
 
Varsha Rajkhowa, 26, won the Miss Scuba International beauty pageant in Malaysia in November 2016. Miss Scuba International is a beauty pageant with a slight twist – the contestants all have to be scuba divers.&nbsp;

Indore building collapse: Death toll rises to 10 At least 10 were killed in a building collapse in Madhya Pradesh's Indore last night. According to reports, a four storeyed-building in Sarwate area collapsed around 9:20 pm last night. Gaza sees bloodiest day in years Gazans buried their dead on Saturday with calls for "revenge" a day after a mass protest led to clashes that saw Israeli forces kill 16 Palestinians in the bloodiest day since a 2014 war. Two encounters in Kashmir 1 terrorist killed, one held An encounter between security forces and terrorists in Dialgam area of Anantnag, Jammu and Kashmir got one terrorist killed while another has been held. The operation has finally come to an end. EPL: Manchester City one win away from title Pep Guardiola's side, who will be champions if they win next Saturday's Manchester derby, grabbed the lead in the fourth minute through Leroy Sane's sizzling volley from a tight angle at the back post after a pinpoint cross from David Silva. The Indian beauty queen that no one has heard of Varsha Rajkhowa, 26, won the Miss Scuba International beauty pageant in Malaysia in November 2016. Miss Scuba International is a beauty pageant with a slight twist – the contestants all have to be scuba divers.

News brief: Big stories of the day

Gazans buried their dead on Saturday with calls for "revenge" a day after a mass protest led to clashes that saw Israeli forces kill 16 Palestinians in the bloodiest day since a 2014 war.

The angry funeral scenes came as the United States blocked a draft UN Security Council statement urging restraint and calling for an investigation into the clashes.

Only several hundred protesters returned to tents erected at sites near the Gaza Strip's border with Israel to resume demonstrations planned to last six weeks in the blockaded enclave.

On the diplomatic front, UN chief Antonio Guterres and European Union diplomatic chief Federica Mogherini called for an "independent and transparent investigation" into Israel's use of live ammunition.

But a motion put forward before the UN Security Council by Kuwait late Saturday calling for such a move was rejected by the United States, a Security Council diplomat told AFP.

Israel defended the army fire at Palestinians who broke away from the main protest of tens of thousands and neared the heavily fortified fence around the Gaza Strip.

"Well done to our soldiers," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wrote in a statement Saturday.

"Israel acts vigorously and with determination to protect its sovereignty and the security of its citizens."

An Israeli military spokesman said Friday's events were "not a protest demonstration" but "organised terrorist activity" by Hamas, which has fought three wars with Israel since 2008.

"If it continues, we shall have no choice but to respond inside the Gaza Strip against terrorist targets which we understand to be behind these events," said Brigadier General Ronen Manelis.

Gaza's health ministry said 35 people suffered wounds that were not life-threatening in low-level clashes along the border on Saturday.

Thousands attended funerals for 14 of those killed -- two were buried on Friday -- with mourners holding Palestinian flags and some chanting "revenge" and firing into the air.

&nbsp

Pressure for inquiry 
The armed wing of Hamas, the Islamist movement that runs the Gaza Strip, said five of those killed were its members who were participating "in popular events side-by-side with their people."

The Israeli army said in a statement Saturday night that 10 of the dead had "documented terror backgrounds" in Hamas and other groups and were killed "whilst carrying out acts of terror."

In addition to the 16 Palestinians killed, more than 1,400 were wounded Friday, 758 of them by live fire, with the remainder hurt by rubber bullets and tear gas inhalation, according to the health ministry in Gaza.

The Israeli military says its forces opened fire only when necessary against those throwing stones and firebombs or rolling tyres at soldiers.

It said there were attempts to damage the fence and break through into Israel, as well as an attempted gun attack against troops.

No casualties were reported among Israelis.

Palestinians accused Israel of using disproportionate force, saying its soldiers opened fire on protesters who did not pose a threat, while human rights groups questioned Israel's use of live fire.

Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman issued a scornful rejection of demands for a probe.

"I do not understand the chorus of hypocrites who want a commission of inquiry," he posted in Hebrew on his Twitter account.

"They got confused and thought Hamas organised a Woodstock Festival yesterday and that we should give them flowers."

Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas declared Saturday a day of national mourning and in a speech said he held Israel fully responsible for the deaths.

&nbsp

US 'cover for Israel' 
The six-week protest is in support of Palestinian refugees and the timetable holds significance for a range of reasons that have added to tensions.

It began on Land Day, when Palestinians commemorate the killing of six unarmed Arab protesters in Israel in 1976.

Protests will continue until the United States opens its new Jerusalem embassy around May 14, a move that has enraged Palestinians, who see the city's annexed eastern sector as the capital of their future state.

May 14 will also mark 70 years since the creation of Israel, while Palestinians will mark what they call the Nakba, or "catastrophe," the following day.

The Nakba commemorates the more than 700,000 Palestinians who either fled or were expelled from their homes in the war surrounding Israel's creation in 1948.

US President Donald Trump has harshly criticised the Palestinians in the past, but the State Department said only that it was "deeply saddened" by the loss of life and urged steps to lower tensions.

Human Rights Watch called calling the number of killed and wounded "shocking".

"Israeli allegations of violence by some protesters do not change the fact that using lethal force is banned by international law except to meet an imminent threat to life," the New York-based group said.

Israel had deployed troop reinforcements along the border, including more than 100 special forces snipers, saying it would prevent attempts to break through the fence.

Protests along the border are common, often involving young Palestinian men throwing stones at Israeli soldiers who respond with tear gas along with rubber and live bullets.

But the "March of Return" protest that began on Friday is on a larger scale and intended to involve families with women and children camping in tent cities near the border for weeks.

A mass protest led to clashes that saw Israeli forces kill 16 Palestinians, the highest number of casualties in one day since a 2014 war

Gazans buried their dead on Saturday with calls for "revenge" a day after a mass protest led to clashes that saw Israeli forces kill 16 Palestinians in the bloodiest day since a 2014 war. The angry funeral scenes came as the United States blocked a draft UN Security Council statement urging restraint and calling for an investigation into the clashes. Only several hundred protesters returned to tents erected at sites near the Gaza Strip's border with Israel to resume demonstrations planned to last six weeks in the blockaded enclave. On the diplomatic front, UN chief Antonio Guterres and European Union diplomatic chief Federica Mogherini called for an "independent and transparent investigation" into Israel's use of live ammunition. But a motion put forward before the UN Security Council by Kuwait late Saturday calling for such a move was rejected by the United States, a Security Council diplomat told AFP. Israel defended the army fire at Palestinians who broke away from the main protest of tens of thousands and neared the heavily fortified fence around the Gaza Strip. "Well done to our soldiers," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wrote in a statement Saturday. "Israel acts vigorously and with determination to protect its sovereignty and the security of its citizens." An Israeli military spokesman said Friday's events were "not a protest demonstration" but "organised terrorist activity" by Hamas, which has fought three wars with Israel since 2008. "If it continues, we shall have no choice but to respond inside the Gaza Strip against terrorist targets which we understand to be behind these events," said Brigadier General Ronen Manelis. Gaza's health ministry said 35 people suffered wounds that were not life-threatening in low-level clashes along the border on Saturday. Thousands attended funerals for 14 of those killed -- two were buried on Friday -- with mourners holding Palestinian flags and some chanting "revenge" and firing into the air. Pressure for inquiry The armed wing of Hamas, the Islamist movement that runs the Gaza Strip, said five of those killed were its members who were participating "in popular events side-by-side with their people." The Israeli army said in a statement Saturday night that 10 of the dead had "documented terror backgrounds" in Hamas and other groups and were killed "whilst carrying out acts of terror." In addition to the 16 Palestinians killed, more than 1,400 were wounded Friday, 758 of them by live fire, with the remainder hurt by rubber bullets and tear gas inhalation, according to the health ministry in Gaza. The Israeli military says its forces opened fire only when necessary against those throwing stones and firebombs or rolling tyres at soldiers. It said there were attempts to damage the fence and break through into Israel, as well as an attempted gun attack against troops. No casualties were reported among Israelis. Palestinians accused Israel of using disproportionate force, saying its soldiers opened fire on protesters who did not pose a threat, while human rights groups questioned Israel's use of live fire. Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman issued a scornful rejection of demands for a probe. "I do not understand the chorus of hypocrites who want a commission of inquiry," he posted in Hebrew on his Twitter account. "They got confused and thought Hamas organised a Woodstock Festival yesterday and that we should give them flowers." Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas declared Saturday a day of national mourning and in a speech said he held Israel fully responsible for the deaths. US 'cover for Israel' The six-week protest is in support of Palestinian refugees and the timetable holds significance for a range of reasons that have added to tensions. It began on Land Day, when Palestinians commemorate the killing of six unarmed Arab protesters in Israel in 1976. Protests will continue until the United States opens its new Jerusalem embassy around May 14, a move that has enraged Palestinians, who see the city's annexed eastern sector as the capital of their future state. May 14 will also mark 70 years since the creation of Israel, while Palestinians will mark what they call the Nakba, or "catastrophe," the following day. The Nakba commemorates the more than 700,000 Palestinians who either fled or were expelled from their homes in the war surrounding Israel's creation in 1948. US President Donald Trump has harshly criticised the Palestinians in the past, but the State Department said only that it was "deeply saddened" by the loss of life and urged steps to lower tensions. Human Rights Watch called calling the number of killed and wounded "shocking". "Israeli allegations of violence by some protesters do not change the fact that using lethal force is banned by international law except to meet an imminent threat to life," the New York-based group said. Israel had deployed troop reinforcements along the border, including more than 100 special forces snipers, saying it would prevent attempts to break through the fence. Protests along the border are common, often involving young Palestinian men throwing stones at Israeli soldiers who respond with tear gas along with rubber and live bullets. But the "March of Return" protest that began on Friday is on a larger scale and intended to involve families with women and children camping in tent cities near the border for weeks.

Gaza sees bloodiest day in years

Tension remained high in the area a day after deadly violence broke out in one of the biggest Palestinian demonstrations there in years.

An Israeli military spokesman said he was checking the details of Saturday's unrest.

On Friday at least 15 Palestinians were killed by Israeli security forces confronting protesters, some of whom the military said had opened fire, rolled burning tyres and hurled rocks and fire bombs toward troops across the border.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas declared Saturday a national day of mourning and a general strike was called across the occupied West Bank. Thousands in Gaza marched through the streets at funerals for those killed.

Tens of thousands of Palestinians had gathered on Friday along the fenced 65-km (40-mile) frontier, where tents were erected for a planned six-week protest pressing for a right of return for refugees and their descendents to what is now Israel. The Israeli military estimate was 30,000.

Families brought their children to the encampments just a few hundred metres (yards) from the Israeli security barrier with the Islamist Hamas-run enclave. But hundreds of Palestinian youths ignored calls from the organisers and the Israeli military to stay away from the frontier and violence broke out.

Palestinians marking ''catastrophe''

The protest, organised by Hamas and other Palestinian factions, is scheduled to culminate on May 15, the day Palestinians commemorate what they call the "Nakba" or "Catastrophe" when hundreds of thousands fled or were driven out of their homes in 1948, when the state of Israel was created.

Israel has long ruled out any right of return, fearing an influx of Arabs that would wipe out its Jewish majority. It argues that refugees should resettle in a future state the Palestinians seek in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and Gaza. Peace talks to that end have been frozen since 2014.

Israel withdrew its troops and settlers from Gaza in 2005 but still maintains tight control of its land and sea borders.

Egypt also keeps its border with Gaza largely closed.

Abbas's spokesman, Nabil Abu Rdainah, said: "The message of the Palestinian people is clear. The Palestinian land will always belong to its legitimate owners and the occupation will be removed."

Israeli military spokesman Brigadier-General Ronen Manelis said Hamas was using the protests as a guise to launch attacks against Israel and ignite the area. He said violence would likely continue along the border until May 15.

"We won't let this turn into a ping-pong zone where they perpetrate a terrorist act and we respond with pinpoint action. If this continues we will not have no choice but to respond inside the Gaza Strip," Manelis told reporters in a phone briefing.

The Gaza Health Ministry had said on Friday 16 people were killed but revised the death toll to 15 on Saturday.

Israeli troops fired warning shots towards Palestinian youths gathered at the Gaza-Israel border on Saturday, wounding 13 people, health officials said

Tension remained high in the area a day after deadly violence broke out in one of the biggest Palestinian demonstrations there in years. An Israeli military spokesman said he was checking the details of Saturday's unrest. On Friday at least 15 Palestinians were killed by Israeli security forces confronting protesters, some of whom the military said had opened fire, rolled burning tyres and hurled rocks and fire bombs toward troops across the border. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas declared Saturday a national day of mourning and a general strike was called across the occupied West Bank. Thousands in Gaza marched through the streets at funerals for those killed. Tens of thousands of Palestinians had gathered on Friday along the fenced 65-km (40-mile) frontier, where tents were erected for a planned six-week protest pressing for a right of return for refugees and their descendents to what is now Israel. The Israeli military estimate was 30,000. Families brought their children to the encampments just a few hundred metres (yards) from the Israeli security barrier with the Islamist Hamas-run enclave. But hundreds of Palestinian youths ignored calls from the organisers and the Israeli military to stay away from the frontier and violence broke out. Palestinians marking ''catastrophe'' The protest, organised by Hamas and other Palestinian factions, is scheduled to culminate on May 15, the day Palestinians commemorate what they call the "Nakba" or "Catastrophe" when hundreds of thousands fled or were driven out of their homes in 1948, when the state of Israel was created. Israel has long ruled out any right of return, fearing an influx of Arabs that would wipe out its Jewish majority. It argues that refugees should resettle in a future state the Palestinians seek in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and Gaza. Peace talks to that end have been frozen since 2014. Israel withdrew its troops and settlers from Gaza in 2005 but still maintains tight control of its land and sea borders. Egypt also keeps its border with Gaza largely closed. Abbas's spokesman, Nabil Abu Rdainah, said: "The message of the Palestinian people is clear. The Palestinian land will always belong to its legitimate owners and the occupation will be removed." Israeli military spokesman Brigadier-General Ronen Manelis said Hamas was using the protests as a guise to launch attacks against Israel and ignite the area. He said violence would likely continue along the border until May 15. "We won't let this turn into a ping-pong zone where they perpetrate a terrorist act and we respond with pinpoint action. If this continues we will not have no choice but to respond inside the Gaza Strip," Manelis told reporters in a phone briefing. The Gaza Health Ministry had said on Friday 16 people were killed but revised the death toll to 15 on Saturday.

Israeli troops wound 13 on Gaza border, day after deadly protest

The UN Security Council heard fears of a further escalation in Israeli-Palestinian violence in the Gaza Strip during emergency talks Friday despite a failure to agree a joint statement on deadly clashes.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also called for an "independent and transparent investigation" and reaffirmed "the readiness" of the world body to revitalize peace efforts, a spokesperson said.

Kuwait requested the meeting to discuss the unraveling situation in Gaza, where Palestinians said Israeli fire killed 16 people in the conflict's deadliest single day since the 2014 Gaza war.

"There is fear that the situation might deteriorate in the coming days," said assistant UN secretary general for political affairs, Taye-Brook Zerihoun, urging maximum restraint.

Britain and the United States expressed regret that the timing of the meeting -- the first night of Passover -- meant Israeli officials could not attend. Leading ambassadors sent deputies in their place.

"It's vital that this Council be balanced in its approach," a US diplomat told the meeting. "We should have found an arrangement for all parties to participate tonight," he added.

"We are deeply saddened by the loss of life today," the diplomat added. "Bad actors who use protests as a cover to incite violence endanger innocent lives," he added.&nbsp

"The risk of escalation is very real," the French representative said. "There is the possibility of a new conflict in the Gaza Strip."

In a written statement before the meeting, Israel's ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, blamed Hamas for the violence.

The violence broke out as tens of thousands of Gazans marched near the Israeli border to demand that the right of return for Palestinian refugees who fled or were expelled since the creation of Israel.

Israeli troops used tear gas and live fire to force back Palestinians who approached the heavily fortified border fence.&nbsp

Israeli tank fire and an air strike also targeted three Hamas sites in the Gaza Strip after what the military said was an attempted shooting attack against soldiers along the border that caused no injuries.

The health ministry in Gaza said 16 Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces and more than 1,400 were injured, including 758 by live fire, with the remainder hurt by rubber bullets and tear gas.

Palestinians accused Israel of using disproportionate force. The Israeli military said the protests were used as cover by militants to either break through the border or carry out attacks.&nbsp

The health ministry in Gaza said 16 Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces and more than 1,400 were injured

The UN Security Council heard fears of a further escalation in Israeli-Palestinian violence in the Gaza Strip during emergency talks Friday despite a failure to agree a joint statement on deadly clashes. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also called for an "independent and transparent investigation" and reaffirmed "the readiness" of the world body to revitalize peace efforts, a spokesperson said. Kuwait requested the meeting to discuss the unraveling situation in Gaza, where Palestinians said Israeli fire killed 16 people in the conflict's deadliest single day since the 2014 Gaza war. "There is fear that the situation might deteriorate in the coming days," said assistant UN secretary general for political affairs, Taye-Brook Zerihoun, urging maximum restraint. Britain and the United States expressed regret that the timing of the meeting -- the first night of Passover -- meant Israeli officials could not attend. Leading ambassadors sent deputies in their place. "It's vital that this Council be balanced in its approach," a US diplomat told the meeting. "We should have found an arrangement for all parties to participate tonight," he added. "We are deeply saddened by the loss of life today," the diplomat added. "Bad actors who use protests as a cover to incite violence endanger innocent lives," he added. "The risk of escalation is very real," the French representative said. "There is the possibility of a new conflict in the Gaza Strip." In a written statement before the meeting, Israel's ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, blamed Hamas for the violence. The violence broke out as tens of thousands of Gazans marched near the Israeli border to demand that the right of return for Palestinian refugees who fled or were expelled since the creation of Israel. Israeli troops used tear gas and live fire to force back Palestinians who approached the heavily fortified border fence. Israeli tank fire and an air strike also targeted three Hamas sites in the Gaza Strip after what the military said was an attempted shooting attack against soldiers along the border that caused no injuries. The health ministry in Gaza said 16 Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces and more than 1,400 were injured, including 758 by live fire, with the remainder hurt by rubber bullets and tear gas. Palestinians accused Israel of using disproportionate force. The Israeli military said the protests were used as cover by militants to either break through the border or carry out attacks.

UN Security Council hears Gaza restraint calls

Clashes erupted as tens of thousands of Gazans marched near the Israeli border in a major protest on Friday, leaving 16 Palestinians dead and hundreds more wounded in the conflict's worst single day of violence since the 2014 Gaza war.

Late in the day, Israel's military targeted three Hamas sites in the Gaza Strip with tank fire and an air strike after what it said was an attempted shooting attack against soldiers along the border that caused no injuries.

Protesters, including women and children, had earlier gathered at multiple sites throughout the blockaded territory, which is flanked by Israel along its eastern and northern borders.

Smaller numbers approached within a few hundred metres (yards) of the heavily fortified border fence, with Israeli troops using tear gas and live fire to force them back.

Israeli security forces used a drone to fire tear gas toward those along the border, in one of the first uses of the device, a police spokesman said.

The health ministry in Gaza said 16 Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces.

More than 1,400 were injured, including 758 by live fire, with the remainder hurt by rubber bullets and tear gas inhalation, it said.

Palestinians accused Israel of using disproportionate force, as did Turkey.

The UN Security Council was to hold closed-door talks about the situation in Gaza later today at the request of Kuwait, a diplomat said.

Egypt and Jordan, the only two Arab countries to have signed peace treaties with Israel, denounced the use of force against the protesters while the Arab League condemned what it called Israel's "savagery".

Israel's military alleged that the main protests were being used as cover by militants to either break through the border or carry out attacks.

"It is not a peaceful demonstration," an Israeli military official told journalists.

"There was no small number of attempts to damage the fence and cross" the border, she added.

The army said it estimated some 30,000 demonstrators were taking part in the protests.

"Rioters are rolling burning tyres and hurling firebombs and rocks at the security fence and at (Israeli) troops, who are responding with riot dispersal means and firing towards main instigators," it said.

Protesters were demanding hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees who fled or were expelled during the war surrounding Israel's creation in 1948 be allowed to return.

Hamas leader Ismail Haniya attended the protest, believed to be the first time he has gone so close to the border in years.

Hamas and Israel have fought three wars since 2008, the most recent of which in 2014 ended with a fragile truce.

Far smaller protests broke out in parts of the occupied West Bank.

On Friday evening, Gazan leaders called on protesters to retreat from the border area until Saturday, with the demonstration planned to last six weeks, until the inauguration of the new US embassy in Jerusalem around May 14.

Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas declared Saturday a day of national mourning.

In a later speech Friday he said he held Israel fully responsible for the deaths.

The upcoming embassy move has added to tensions surrounding the march.

US President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital in December has infuriated Palestinians, who claim its annexed eastern sector as the capital of their future state.

The protest also began as Jewish Israelis were to mark the Passover holiday.

Israel announced a "closed military zone in the area surrounding the Gaza Strip," accusing its Islamist rulers Hamas of using the lives of civilians "for the purpose of terror".

It deployed reinforcements, including more than 100 special forces snipers, for fear of mass attempts to break through the security fence.

Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman said in a tweet directed to Gazans in both Hebrew and Arabic that "Hamas's leadership is playing with your life".

Late in the day, Israel's military targeted three Hamas sites in the Gaza Strip with tank fire and an air strike after what it said was an attempted shooting attack against soldiers along the border that caused no injuries

Clashes erupted as tens of thousands of Gazans marched near the Israeli border in a major protest on Friday, leaving 16 Palestinians dead and hundreds more wounded in the conflict's worst single day of violence since the 2014 Gaza war. Late in the day, Israel's military targeted three Hamas sites in the Gaza Strip with tank fire and an air strike after what it said was an attempted shooting attack against soldiers along the border that caused no injuries. Protesters, including women and children, had earlier gathered at multiple sites throughout the blockaded territory, which is flanked by Israel along its eastern and northern borders. Smaller numbers approached within a few hundred metres (yards) of the heavily fortified border fence, with Israeli troops using tear gas and live fire to force them back. Israeli security forces used a drone to fire tear gas toward those along the border, in one of the first uses of the device, a police spokesman said. The health ministry in Gaza said 16 Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces. More than 1,400 were injured, including 758 by live fire, with the remainder hurt by rubber bullets and tear gas inhalation, it said. Palestinians accused Israel of using disproportionate force, as did Turkey. The UN Security Council was to hold closed-door talks about the situation in Gaza later today at the request of Kuwait, a diplomat said. Egypt and Jordan, the only two Arab countries to have signed peace treaties with Israel, denounced the use of force against the protesters while the Arab League condemned what it called Israel's "savagery". Israel's military alleged that the main protests were being used as cover by militants to either break through the border or carry out attacks. "It is not a peaceful demonstration," an Israeli military official told journalists. "There was no small number of attempts to damage the fence and cross" the border, she added. The army said it estimated some 30,000 demonstrators were taking part in the protests. "Rioters are rolling burning tyres and hurling firebombs and rocks at the security fence and at (Israeli) troops, who are responding with riot dispersal means and firing towards main instigators," it said. Protesters were demanding hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees who fled or were expelled during the war surrounding Israel's creation in 1948 be allowed to return. Hamas leader Ismail Haniya attended the protest, believed to be the first time he has gone so close to the border in years. Hamas and Israel have fought three wars since 2008, the most recent of which in 2014 ended with a fragile truce. Far smaller protests broke out in parts of the occupied West Bank. On Friday evening, Gazan leaders called on protesters to retreat from the border area until Saturday, with the demonstration planned to last six weeks, until the inauguration of the new US embassy in Jerusalem around May 14. Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas declared Saturday a day of national mourning. In a later speech Friday he said he held Israel fully responsible for the deaths. The upcoming embassy move has added to tensions surrounding the march. US President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital in December has infuriated Palestinians, who claim its annexed eastern sector as the capital of their future state. The protest also began as Jewish Israelis were to mark the Passover holiday. Israel announced a "closed military zone in the area surrounding the Gaza Strip," accusing its Islamist rulers Hamas of using the lives of civilians "for the purpose of terror". It deployed reinforcements, including more than 100 special forces snipers, for fear of mass attempts to break through the security fence. Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman said in a tweet directed to Gazans in both Hebrew and Arabic that "Hamas's leadership is playing with your life".

Clashes, 16 dead as thousands of Gazans march near Israel border

Palestinians prepared for further protests near the Gaza border Saturday, a day after a major demonstration led to clashes that saw Israeli forces kill 16 people in the bloodiest day since a 2014 war.

Protesters began returning to a tent city erected near the border with Israel to resume the demonstration planned to last six weeks in the blockaded enclave.

Thousands were attending funerals for those killed, with mourners holding Palestinian flags and some chanting "revenge."

A general strike was being held in both the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank.

Israel defended its soldiers'&nbspactions on Friday when troops opened fire on Palestinians who strayed from the main tent city protest -- attended by tens of thousands -- and approached the heavily fortified fence cutting off the Gaza Strip.

The Israeli military says it opened fire only when necessary against those throwing stones and firebombs or rolling tyres at soldiers.

It also said there were attempts to damage the fence and infiltrate Israel, while alleging there was an attempted shooting attack against soldiers along the border that caused no casualties.

But Palestinians accused Israel of using disproportionate force, while human rights groups questioned Israel`s use of live fire.

UN chief Antonio Guterres called for an "independent and transparent investigation."

In addition to the 16 killed, more than 1,400 were wounded, 758 of them by live fire, with the remainder hurt by rubber bullets and tear gas inhalation, according to the Gazan health ministry.

No casualties were reported among Israelis.Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas declared Saturday a day of national mourning and in a speech said he held Israel fully responsible for the deaths.

"The large number of martyrs and people wounded in peaceful popular demonstrations shows that the international community must intervene to provide protection to our Palestinian people," he said.

An Israeli military spokesman said Friday`s events were "not a protest demonstration" but "organised terrorist activity."

He accused Hamas, the Islamist movement that runs the Gaza Strip and which has fought three wars with Israel since 2008, of being behind it and threatened wider military action if it continued.

"If it continues, we shall have no choice but to respond inside the Gaza Strip against terrorist targets which we understand to be behind these events," Brigadier General Ronen Manelis told journalists.

The six-week protest is in support of Palestinian refugees and the timetable holds significance for a range of reasons that have added to tensions.

It began on Land Day, when Palestinians commemorate the killing of six unarmed Arab protesters in Israel in 1976, and as Jewish Israelis readied to observe the Passover holiday, which started at sundown on Friday.

Protests will continue until the United States opens its new Jerusalem embassy around May 14, a move that has provoked deep anger among the Palestinians, who see the city`s annexed eastern sector as the capital of their future state.

May 14 will also mark 70 years since the creation of Israel, while Palestinians will commemorate what they call the Nakba, or "catastrophe," the following day.

Nakba commemorates the more than 700,000 Palestinians who either fled or were expelled from their homes in the war surrounding Israel`s creation in 1948.US President Donald Trump has harshly criticised the

Palestinians in the past, but the State Department said only that it was "deeply saddened" by the loss of life and urged steps to lower tensions. 
Human Rights Watch criticised Israel`s actions.

"Israeli allegations of violence by some protesters do not change the fact that using lethal force is banned by international law except to meet an imminent threat to life," the New York-based group said, calling the number of killed and wounded "shocking."

Israel`s arch-foe Iran, longstanding supporters of Hamas, condemned the "shameful" killing of protesters and mocked the fact that it happened as Israeli Jews prepared to mark Passover.&nbsp

"On the eve of Passover (of all days), which commemorates God liberating Prophet Moses and his people from tyranny, Zionist tyrants murder peaceful Palestinian protesters -- whose land they have stolen -- as they march to escape their cruel and inhuman apartheid bondage," Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted.

Israel had deployed troop reinforcements along the border, including more than 100 special forces snipers, saying it would prevent attempts to break through the fence.

Protests along the border are common, often culminating in young Palestinian men throwing stones at Israeli soldiers who respond with tear gas along with rubber and live bullets.

But the "March of Return" protest that began on Friday is larger scale and is intended to involve families with women and children camping in tent cities near the border for weeks.

Palestinians prepared for further protests near the Gaza border Saturday, a day after a major demonstration led to clashes that saw Israeli forces kill 16 people in the bloodiest day since a 2014 war

Palestinians prepared for further protests near the Gaza border Saturday, a day after a major demonstration led to clashes that saw Israeli forces kill 16 people in the bloodiest day since a 2014 war. Protesters began returning to a tent city erected near the border with Israel to resume the demonstration planned to last six weeks in the blockaded enclave. Thousands were attending funerals for those killed, with mourners holding Palestinian flags and some chanting "revenge." A general strike was being held in both the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank. Israel defended its soldiers'&nbspactions on Friday when troops opened fire on Palestinians who strayed from the main tent city protest -- attended by tens of thousands -- and approached the heavily fortified fence cutting off the Gaza Strip. The Israeli military says it opened fire only when necessary against those throwing stones and firebombs or rolling tyres at soldiers. It also said there were attempts to damage the fence and infiltrate Israel, while alleging there was an attempted shooting attack against soldiers along the border that caused no casualties. But Palestinians accused Israel of using disproportionate force, while human rights groups questioned Israel`s use of live fire. UN chief Antonio Guterres called for an "independent and transparent investigation." In addition to the 16 killed, more than 1,400 were wounded, 758 of them by live fire, with the remainder hurt by rubber bullets and tear gas inhalation, according to the Gazan health ministry. No casualties were reported among Israelis.Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas declared Saturday a day of national mourning and in a speech said he held Israel fully responsible for the deaths. "The large number of martyrs and people wounded in peaceful popular demonstrations shows that the international community must intervene to provide protection to our Palestinian people," he said. An Israeli military spokesman said Friday`s events were "not a protest demonstration" but "organised terrorist activity." He accused Hamas, the Islamist movement that runs the Gaza Strip and which has fought three wars with Israel since 2008, of being behind it and threatened wider military action if it continued. "If it continues, we shall have no choice but to respond inside the Gaza Strip against terrorist targets which we understand to be behind these events," Brigadier General Ronen Manelis told journalists. The six-week protest is in support of Palestinian refugees and the timetable holds significance for a range of reasons that have added to tensions. It began on Land Day, when Palestinians commemorate the killing of six unarmed Arab protesters in Israel in 1976, and as Jewish Israelis readied to observe the Passover holiday, which started at sundown on Friday. Protests will continue until the United States opens its new Jerusalem embassy around May 14, a move that has provoked deep anger among the Palestinians, who see the city`s annexed eastern sector as the capital of their future state. May 14 will also mark 70 years since the creation of Israel, while Palestinians will commemorate what they call the Nakba, or "catastrophe," the following day. Nakba commemorates the more than 700,000 Palestinians who either fled or were expelled from their homes in the war surrounding Israel`s creation in 1948.US President Donald Trump has harshly criticised the Palestinians in the past, but the State Department said only that it was "deeply saddened" by the loss of life and urged steps to lower tensions. Human Rights Watch criticised Israel`s actions. "Israeli allegations of violence by some protesters do not change the fact that using lethal force is banned by international law except to meet an imminent threat to life," the New York-based group said, calling the number of killed and wounded "shocking." Israel`s arch-foe Iran, longstanding supporters of Hamas, condemned the "shameful" killing of protesters and mocked the fact that it happened as Israeli Jews prepared to mark Passover. "On the eve of Passover (of all days), which commemorates God liberating Prophet Moses and his people from tyranny, Zionist tyrants murder peaceful Palestinian protesters -- whose land they have stolen -- as they march to escape their cruel and inhuman apartheid bondage," Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted. Israel had deployed troop reinforcements along the border, including more than 100 special forces snipers, saying it would prevent attempts to break through the fence. Protests along the border are common, often culminating in young Palestinian men throwing stones at Israeli soldiers who respond with tear gas along with rubber and live bullets. But the "March of Return" protest that began on Friday is larger scale and is intended to involve families with women and children camping in tent cities near the border for weeks.

Gazans ready for new protests after bloodiest day in years

Israeli tanks hit two Hamas positions in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday after activists set fire to the base of the security fence on the volatile frontier, the army said.

The army said the two suspected arsonists had not crossed the fence and infiltrated Israel but it retaliated with tank fire against two Hamas observation posts.

"The (army) views with great severity any attempt to damage the security fence, as well as security infrastructure," it said.

The incident comes a day after Israeli soldiers detained three Palestinians who had slipped across the border from Gaza in possession of knives and grenades.

The army said the trio were apprehended near an army base some 20 kilometres (12 miles) inside Israel, while police distributed pictures of hand grenades, knives and wire cutters found on them.

There had already been an uptick in incidents along the border as Palestinian anger runs high over US President Donald Trump's decision in December to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

On Saturday, a number of Palestinians breached the frontier and tried to torch heavy equipment.

In response, Israeli jets attacked positions of Hamas, the Islamist group that controls Gaza.

A day later gunfire from Gaza set off Israel's Iron Dome air defence system and in response a tank fired at a Hamas position.

The incidents come as Israel braces for the annual Palestinian Land Day protests, commemorating the killing of six unarmed Arab demonstrators in Israel in 1976, set to begin in Gaza on Friday.

Gazans are being called to march towards the border fence en masse.

Israeli tanks hit two Hamas positions in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday after activists set fire to the base of the security fence on the volatile frontier, the army said

Israeli tanks hit two Hamas positions in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday after activists set fire to the base of the security fence on the volatile frontier, the army said. The army said the two suspected arsonists had not crossed the fence and infiltrated Israel but it retaliated with tank fire against two Hamas observation posts. "The (army) views with great severity any attempt to damage the security fence, as well as security infrastructure," it said. The incident comes a day after Israeli soldiers detained three Palestinians who had slipped across the border from Gaza in possession of knives and grenades. The army said the trio were apprehended near an army base some 20 kilometres (12 miles) inside Israel, while police distributed pictures of hand grenades, knives and wire cutters found on them. There had already been an uptick in incidents along the border as Palestinian anger runs high over US President Donald Trump's decision in December to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital. On Saturday, a number of Palestinians breached the frontier and tried to torch heavy equipment. In response, Israeli jets attacked positions of Hamas, the Islamist group that controls Gaza. A day later gunfire from Gaza set off Israel's Iron Dome air defence system and in response a tank fired at a Hamas position. The incidents come as Israel braces for the annual Palestinian Land Day protests, commemorating the killing of six unarmed Arab demonstrators in Israel in 1976, set to begin in Gaza on Friday. Gazans are being called to march towards the border fence en masse.

Israel strikes Hamas positions in Gaza: Army

An explosion went off as Palestinian prime minister Rami Hamdallah&#39;s convoy entered the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, wounding seven people, a security source and witnesses said.

The explosive device was detonated after Hamdallah and his convoy passed through the Beit Hanoun checkpoint with Israel in northern Gaza, reports said.&nbsp;

Hamdallah was not injured in the explosion, which occurred shortly after his convoy entered for a rare visit to the territory run by Islamist movement Hamas, a security source in the convoy said.

According to initial reports, several people were lightly wounded in the incident.

A statement on official Palestinian media said president Mahmud Abbas considered it a &quot;cowardly targeting&quot; of Hamdallah&#39;s convoy and held Hamas responsible.

The cause of the blast was not immediately known. Hamadallah, who is based in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, travelled to Gaza for the inauguration of a waste treatment plant.

Explosive device detonated after PM Rami Hamdallah and his convoy passed through the Beit Hanoun crossing

An explosion went off as Palestinian prime minister Rami Hamdallah's convoy entered the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, wounding seven people, a security source and witnesses said. The explosive device was detonated after Hamdallah and his convoy passed through the Beit Hanoun checkpoint with Israel in northern Gaza, reports said. Hamdallah was not injured in the explosion, which occurred shortly after his convoy entered for a rare visit to the territory run by Islamist movement Hamas, a security source in the convoy said. According to initial reports, several people were lightly wounded in the incident. A statement on official Palestinian media said president Mahmud Abbas considered it a "cowardly targeting" of Hamdallah's convoy and held Hamas responsible. The cause of the blast was not immediately known. Hamadallah, who is based in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, travelled to Gaza for the inauguration of a waste treatment plant.

Palestinian PM unhurt in Gaza explosion, several lightly injured

Two Palestinians were killed by Israeli army fire in Gaza in a flare-up after soldiers were wounded by an explosive device along the Palestinian enclave&#39;s border, Gaza medical sources said Sunday.

The fatalities were identified by the Gaza health ministry as Salam Sabah and Abdullah Abu Sheikha, both 17, who were killed during a strike east of Rafah in southern Gaza.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/israel-strikes-gaza-after-blast-wounds-four-soldiers-33212" target="_blank">Israeli jets hit Gaza after IED wounds four soldiers</a>

According to Palestinian eye witnesses, the two were killed by shots near the border.

The Israeli army said that its forces had fired &quot;warning shots&quot; at a number of Palestinians approaching the border fence &quot;in a suspicious manner&quot;.

Their death comes after Israel launched a <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/israel-strikes-gaza-after-blast-wounds-four-soldiers-33212" target="_blank">series of air strikes</a> targeting 18 &quot;terror targets belonging to Hamas&quot; in Gaza, after the explosive device wounded soldiers and a projectile from Gaza hit in an Israeli border town.

The fatalities were identified by the Gaza health ministry as Salam Sabah and Abdullah Abu Sheikha, both 17, who were killed during a strike east of Rafah in southern Gaza

Two Palestinians were killed by Israeli army fire in Gaza in a flare-up after soldiers were wounded by an explosive device along the Palestinian enclave's border, Gaza medical sources said Sunday. The fatalities were identified by the Gaza health ministry as Salam Sabah and Abdullah Abu Sheikha, both 17, who were killed during a strike east of Rafah in southern Gaza. Also read: Israeli jets hit Gaza after IED wounds four soldiers According to Palestinian eye witnesses, the two were killed by shots near the border. The Israeli army said that its forces had fired "warning shots" at a number of Palestinians approaching the border fence "in a suspicious manner". Their death comes after Israel launched a series of air strikes targeting 18 "terror targets belonging to Hamas" in Gaza, after the explosive device wounded soldiers and a projectile from Gaza hit in an Israeli border town.

Two Palestinians killed by Israeli Army: Medics

Israeli aircraft have attacked a target in the southern Gaza Strip, the army said, and also closed the goods crossing between the Palestinian enclave and the Jewish state.

Israel &quot;targeted a terror infrastructure using fighter jets in the southern Rafah region, adjacent to the Egypt-Gaza Strip border,&quot; an army statement said yesterday.

&quot;The Hamas terror organisation is accountable for all activity in and from the Gaza Strip,&quot; it said.

Palestinian security sources in Gaza said nobody was wounded in the Israeli strike.

Earlier in the day, Israel&#39;s defence ministry said the Kerem Shalom goods crossing between Gaza and Israel near Rafah would be closed from Sunday &quot;until further notice&quot;.

A defence ministry spokeswoman would say only that the rare move came following &quot;security assessments&quot;.

Cross-border violence between Israel and Gaza has increased since US President Donald Trump&#39;s December 6 decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, a move that has angered Palestinians who see the city as the capital of their future state.

Dozens of projectiles from Gaza have since targeted southern Israel, and 16 Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces, 14 in clashes and two in a retaliatory air strike on Gaza.&nbsp;

Israeli aircraft have attacked a target in the southern Gaza Strip, the army said, and also closed the goods crossing between the Palestinian enclave and the Jewish state

Israeli aircraft have attacked a target in the southern Gaza Strip, the army said, and also closed the goods crossing between the Palestinian enclave and the Jewish state. Israel "targeted a terror infrastructure using fighter jets in the southern Rafah region, adjacent to the Egypt-Gaza Strip border," an army statement said yesterday. "The Hamas terror organisation is accountable for all activity in and from the Gaza Strip," it said. Palestinian security sources in Gaza said nobody was wounded in the Israeli strike. Earlier in the day, Israel's defence ministry said the Kerem Shalom goods crossing between Gaza and Israel near Rafah would be closed from Sunday "until further notice". A defence ministry spokeswoman would say only that the rare move came following "security assessments". Cross-border violence between Israel and Gaza has increased since US President Donald Trump's December 6 decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, a move that has angered Palestinians who see the city as the capital of their future state. Dozens of projectiles from Gaza have since targeted southern Israel, and 16 Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces, 14 in clashes and two in a retaliatory air strike on Gaza.

Israel carries out air strike in Gaza: Army

Israeli jets bombarded Hamas bases in Gaza overnight in response to rocket fire from the Palestinian enclave, the military said Thursday.

&quot;In response to the projectiles fired at southern Israeli communities throughout yesterday from the Gaza Strip, IAF (Israeli air force) fighter jets targeted a significant terror infrastructure in the Gaza Strip,&quot; Israeli forces said in a statement.

Palestinian militants in Gaza have fired at least 20 rockets or mortar rounds at Israel since US President Donald Trump&#39;s controversial December 6 recognition of Jerusalem as the country&#39;s capital, at least six of which have been intercepted by the Iron Dome defence system.

The projectiles are often fired by fringe radical Islamist groups, but Israel holds Gaza&#39;s militant rulers Hamas responsible for any attacks from the territory and retaliates by targeting Hamas positions. 
&nbsp;

Palestinian militants in Gaza have fired at least 20 rockets or mortar rounds at Israel since US President Donald Trump's controversial December 6 recognition of Jerusalem as the country's capital

Israeli jets bombarded Hamas bases in Gaza overnight in response to rocket fire from the Palestinian enclave, the military said Thursday. "In response to the projectiles fired at southern Israeli communities throughout yesterday from the Gaza Strip, IAF (Israeli air force) fighter jets targeted a significant terror infrastructure in the Gaza Strip," Israeli forces said in a statement. Palestinian militants in Gaza have fired at least 20 rockets or mortar rounds at Israel since US President Donald Trump's controversial December 6 recognition of Jerusalem as the country's capital, at least six of which have been intercepted by the Iron Dome defence system. The projectiles are often fired by fringe radical Islamist groups, but Israel holds Gaza's militant rulers Hamas responsible for any attacks from the territory and retaliates by targeting Hamas positions.

Israeli jets bombard Hamas positions in Gaza

Two Palestinians were killed as youths clashed with Israeli soldiers on the Gaza border on Friday in a new protest against US recognition of Jerusalem as Israel&#39;s capital, the health ministry said.

The third Friday since US President Donald Trump&#39;s controversial announcement on Jerusalem was again billed by Gaza&#39;s Islamist rulers Hamas as a &quot;day of rage&quot;.

Hundreds of Palestinian protesters at various points along the Gaza border threw stones at Israeli forces, who responded with smoke grenades and live and rubber bullets, AFP correspondents said.

The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza said Zakaria al-Kafarneh, 24, died after being shot in the chest in clashes near Jabalia, in northern Gaza.

A second man, 29-year-old Mohammed Mohaisen, died later in clashes east of Gaza City, it said.

Six other Gazans were shot and wounded by soldiers using live ammunition, and one was in a critical condition, the ministry said.

One man dressed as Santa Claus holding a Palestinian flag was shot in the leg east of Khan Yunis in southern Gaza, eyewitnesses said.

In the occupied West Bank, clashes broke out in Ramallah, Hebron and other major cities, with smaller protests across the territory, including near the Jewish settlement of Beit El.

Osama Najar, spokesman for the health ministry in the West Bank, said they had seen protests in more locations than on previous Fridays.

The Palestinian Red Crescent said it had dealt with dozens of injuries during the West Bank clashes, including at least seven hit by live ammunition.

The clashes broke out after the weekly Muslim prayers, with minor scuffles in Jerusalem.

The army said in a statement that around 1,700 &quot;rioters are hurling firebombs and rocks and rolling burning tyres... In order to disperse the riot, troops are responding with riot dispersal means&quot;.

In Gaza, around 2,000 Palestinians were taking part in protests, the army said, with soldiers firing &quot;live rounds selectively towards main instigators&quot;.

The army&#39;s estimates were down from 2,500 and 3,500 in the West Bank and Gaza respectively the previous Friday.

There have been near daily protests across the Palestinian territories since Trump&#39;s controversial December 6 announcement that he would recognise Jerusalem as Israel&#39;s capital and move the US embassy there from Tel Aviv.

Ten Palestinians have died, eight in clashes and two in an Israeli air strike on Gaza.

Fridays, traditionally a day of protest for Palestinians, have seen the most violence.

 
&nbsp;

Two Palestinians were killed as youths clashed with Israeli soldiers on the Gaza border on Friday in a new protest against US recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital, the health ministry said

Two Palestinians were killed as youths clashed with Israeli soldiers on the Gaza border on Friday in a new protest against US recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital, the health ministry said. The third Friday since US President Donald Trump's controversial announcement on Jerusalem was again billed by Gaza's Islamist rulers Hamas as a "day of rage". Hundreds of Palestinian protesters at various points along the Gaza border threw stones at Israeli forces, who responded with smoke grenades and live and rubber bullets, AFP correspondents said. The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza said Zakaria al-Kafarneh, 24, died after being shot in the chest in clashes near Jabalia, in northern Gaza. A second man, 29-year-old Mohammed Mohaisen, died later in clashes east of Gaza City, it said. Six other Gazans were shot and wounded by soldiers using live ammunition, and one was in a critical condition, the ministry said. One man dressed as Santa Claus holding a Palestinian flag was shot in the leg east of Khan Yunis in southern Gaza, eyewitnesses said. In the occupied West Bank, clashes broke out in Ramallah, Hebron and other major cities, with smaller protests across the territory, including near the Jewish settlement of Beit El. Osama Najar, spokesman for the health ministry in the West Bank, said they had seen protests in more locations than on previous Fridays. The Palestinian Red Crescent said it had dealt with dozens of injuries during the West Bank clashes, including at least seven hit by live ammunition. The clashes broke out after the weekly Muslim prayers, with minor scuffles in Jerusalem. The army said in a statement that around 1,700 "rioters are hurling firebombs and rocks and rolling burning tyres... In order to disperse the riot, troops are responding with riot dispersal means". In Gaza, around 2,000 Palestinians were taking part in protests, the army said, with soldiers firing "live rounds selectively towards main instigators". The army's estimates were down from 2,500 and 3,500 in the West Bank and Gaza respectively the previous Friday. There have been near daily protests across the Palestinian territories since Trump's controversial December 6 announcement that he would recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital and move the US embassy there from Tel Aviv. Ten Palestinians have died, eight in clashes and two in an Israeli air strike on Gaza. Fridays, traditionally a day of protest for Palestinians, have seen the most violence.

Gazans killed by Israeli fire in border clash

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