Gaza protests: Thousands mark 'Great Return' anniversary

[DiaboliK.]

Tens of thousands of Palestinians have demonstrated in Gaza to mark the anniversary of the start of weekly protests on the boundary with Israel.

Demonstrators threw stones and burned tyres, with Israeli troops using tear-gas and live rounds in response. Two protesters died in the clashes, Palestinian officials say, with a third killed overnight. The protests back the declared right of Palestinian refugees to return to ancestral homes in what is now Israel. At least 189 Palestinians and one Israeli soldier were killed between March and December 2018, the UN says. A UN inquiry says Israeli soldiers may have committed war crimes during the protest marches - a charge Israel rejects.

This day of protests is a serious test of the fragile calm between Israel and Hamas, the Islamist group that runs the Palestinian-controlled Gaza Strip, says the BBC's Yolande Knell in Jerusalem.

What has happened so far?

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) estimated the number of protesters at about 40,000 and several thousand Israeli troops were deployed along the border. The IDF said explosive devices had been thrown over the border fence and Israeli forces had responded with "riot dispersal means" and live bullets.

At least two Palestinian protesters, both 17-year-old boys, have been killed and dozens more have been wounded, Palestinian health officials say. The health officials say another man was shot dead by Israeli troops close to the fence overnight. Hamas had said it would try to keep the crowds a safe distance from the fence, with Egyptian and UN mediators trying to prevent further escalation. The clashes were limited in scope and fears of a large number of deaths have not materialised. The protests quietened in the evening.

They came after a tense week in which Palestinian militants fired rockets at Israel and Israel's air force struck dozens of sites in Gaza. But Palestinian sources say Egyptian mediators have made some progress in reaching a new ceasefire agreement between the Palestinians and Israel.

If you wanna read more please visit the following link : click !