OVER 200 PALESTINIANS WERE INJURED BY ISRAELI FORCES DURING FRIDAY’S PROTESTS: MINISTRY OF HEALTH

Saturday, 23 June 2018

OVER 200 PALESTINIANS WERE INJURED BY ISRAELI FORCES DURING FRIDAY’S PROTESTS: MINISTRY OF HEALTH

23.06.2018

Protests on the Israel-Gaza border, June 22, 2018. IMAGE: MAHMUD HAMS/אי־אף־פי

206 Palestinians suffered injures, including gas asphyxiation, during Friday’s protests at the Gaza Strip border, the Palestinian Health Ministry’s spokesman wrote on Twitter on June 22.

According to the statement, 44 of these people suffered live bullet wounds.

On Friuday, Israeli forces fired large amounts of tear gas and live bullets east of Gaza City cracking down on protesters that were burning tires to obstruct the view of Israeli snipers.

Protests have been taking place on in the Gaza Strip every Friday since March 30, 2018. The protests are known as the “Great March of Return”. The protests are aimed against the blockade of Gaza, the US decision to recognize Jerusalem as the Israeli capital and are demanding to allow Palestinian refugees and their descendants to return to the areas seized by Israel.

The protests are taking place amid increased Israeli strikes on alleged Hamas targets in Gaza. In turn, the Palestinian movement responds with rockets strikes on Israeli targets. The most recent encounter took place on June 20.

It shoul be noted that from its side, the Israeli leadership accused the Palestinains, especially Hamas, of the ognoing escalation.