Seventy Gazans injured in protests, 8,000 protest along border
Demonstrations come after a 17-year-old girl was killed and her father and brother severely injured in the West Bank earlier Friday afternoon.
By SYDNEY DENNENDemonstrators hold Palestinian flags during a protest marking the 71st anniversary of the 'Nakba', or catastrophe, when hundreds of thousands fled or were forced from their homes in the war surrounding Israel's independence in 1948, near the Israel-Gaza border fence, in the southern Gaza Strip May 1(photo credit: IBRAHEEM ABU MUSTAFA / REUTERS)
70 Gazans were injured during the recent Friday protests, including 40 by live bullets, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.About 8,000 Palestinians gather at the Gaza border to protest.They threw dozens of bombs, stones and grenades at the fence and IDF troops, while some tried to breach the perimeter. The IDF also announced earlier that four suspects, apparently children, crossed the perimeter fence in the northern Gaza Strip, but returned to the Palestinian side of the fence immediately.These protests are part of the "Right of Return" marches, which have been held every Friday since March of last year.The demonstrations come after a 17-year-old Rina Shenrav was killed and her father and brother, Eitan and Dvir, severely injured in the West Bank earlier Friday. The girl was buried at the Lod cemetery at 3:30 p.m. Friday afternoon. Her brother and father are both still in the hospital in stable condition. During the night, IDF troops hit a terrorist attempting to infiltrate Israel, who threw grenades at fighters. Israel has refused to allow Qatari funds into Gaza and will not permit the transfer of these funds until the government receives a commitment that peace will be maintained until after the elections, according to the Lebanese newspaper Al Akhbar.Sources within Hamas said that they spoke with mediators and that an escalation should be anticipated in response.
