GAZA CITY, June 8, 2018 (News Wires) - Palestinians burned tires and Israeli troops fired heavy volleys of tear gas on Friday to push back large Gaza crowds from the area of the fence separating the blockaded territory from Israel. Israeli troops fired tear gas and live bullets at Palestinians taking part in weekly protests at the Gaza Strip border with Israel injuring at least 100 people, medics told Reuters. The army said it was taking action to disperse thousands of Palestinians, some of whom threw rocks the troops and burned tires, and prevent any breach of the fortified frontier fence. It was the latest in a series of protests against the decade-long blockade of Gaza by Israel. Friday's march also coincided with the annual "Jerusalem Day" to protest against Israeli rule of the holy city. The Jerusalem Day protests are being held each year on the last Friday of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan. The day is known in Arabic as "Youm Al Quds," a reference to the city's historic Arabic name. Israel captured east Jerusalem in the 1967 Mideast war and annexed it to its capital, a move not recognised by most of the international community. Israel's current government has said it will not accept a partition of the city as part of a peace deal with the Palestinians. The protest was also accompanied by concerns about renewed bloodshed. At least 115 Palestinian protesters, the vast majority unarmed, have been killed and close to 3,800 have been wounded by Israeli army fire since the marches began in late March. After Muslim noon prayers Friday, thousands of Gaza residents streamed towards five protest tent camps that had been erected more than two months ago, each several hundred meters from Gaza's perimetre fence. From there, smaller groups walked closer to the fence. In a camp east of Gaza City, activists burned tires, releasing thick black smoke into the air. Israeli troops fired heavy tear gas volleys, including from drones, sending protesters running for cover. One man with a bullhorn shouted, "America is the biggest evil." The mass protests have been aimed at a border blockade imposed by Israel in 2007, after group Hamas overran the territory. The marchers have also pressed demands for a "right of return" for the descendants of Palestinian refugees to ancestral homes in what is now Israel. More than 700,000 Palestinians were expelled or fled in the 1948 Mideast war over Israel's creation. Two-thirds of Gaza's 2 million residents are descendants of refugees. Protester Fadi Saleh said that the frequent marches have helped revive sympathies in the Arab world for the Palestinians, but that more could be done. "We need real Arab support and solidarity with our cause," said Saleh, a student of Arabic literature who wore a medical mask against the tear gas as Israeli soldiers fired live bullets and tear gas. Israel's use of potentially lethal force against the protesters has drawn international criticism. Rights groups have said Israel's open-fire rules are unlawful. The protests have largely been organised by Hamas and to some extent by the smaller Islamic militant group. Both have received political and financial backing from Iran, but also pursue their own agendas. Growing despair in Gaza over blockade-linked hardships, including daily hours-long power cuts and rising poverty, have driven turnout.
