At least 15 killed when Israeli soldiers open fire during mass demonstrations demanding the right of return for Palestinian refugees
Hospitals in Gaza hospitals running low on blood
Israeli soldiers shot 773 palestinian people with live ammunition, according to the ministry of health.
Fifteen of the wounded have died, said the ministry spokesperson Dr Ashraf al-Qidra. “Most of the dead were aged between 17 and 35 years old,” he said. “The injuries were on the upper part of the body.”
The violence erupted on Friday after mass demonstrations took place demanding the right of return for Palestinian refugees and their descendants to land in Israel.
Palestinians in #Gaza are launching the biggest march in decades near the border between the #Gaza & occupied territories (#Israel)#Palestine #GreatReturnMarch #LandDay #Gaza 🇵🇸 #مسيرة_العودة_الكبرى pic.twitter.com/giZJQBnmYE
— Ahmad.M.Radwan (@Ahmed3Rad15) March 30, 2018
Tens of thousands of people, including women and children, had planned to camp several hundred metres from the Israeli frontier, which surrounds the 140-square-mile Gaza strip on two sides, on the first day of a peaceful, six-week protest.
The Israeli soldiers responded by opening fire throughout the day, injuring 1,400 people, according to the health ministry.
On Friday, in less than 30 minutes, reporters saw 10 people with bullet wounds carried away on stretchers at one of the demonstrations.
Shocking news from #Gaza #Palestine!
Thousands of unarmed Palestinians marched in the #GreatReturnMarch – NO weapons but the Palestinian Flag. 13 people are killed by unprecedented violence from Israel so far.
Hello #World – It’s #GoodFriday
& this is damn OUTRAGEOUS! pic.twitter.com/G1ONhaRXpw— Bea (@HerNameIs_Bea) March 30, 2018
The Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, declared Saturday a national day of mourning. More demonstrations are planned.
The New York Times reports that some protesters began hurling stones, tossing Molotov cocktails and rolling burning tires at the fence. “The Israelis responded with tear gas and gunfire.”
The Israelis said they also exchanged fire with two gunmen across the fence and fired at two others who tried to infiltrate into Israel.