Israel and Hamas geared up Friday for another showdown on the Gaza-Israel border with the IDF deploying snipers and tanks ahead of an expected mass protest, and demonstrators starting to set fire to tires along the tense frontier.
Palestinians were burning tires, sending thick plumes of black smoke into the air, and others threw stones at Israeli soldiers over the border fence, who responded with tear gas and live fire, witnesses said.
One person appeared to have been shot east of Gaza City, an AFP photographer on the scene said, but his condition was not immediately clear.
Palestinian activists hope that the smoke will block the view of snipers; Israel fears terrorists will use the smoke as cover to fire on Israeli troops and try to breach the border fence.
The fresh protests come amid concerns about renewed bloodshed after more than a dozen Palestinians were killed and hundreds injured by Israeli fire in a mass protest last week.
Thousands of Palestinians were streaming to tent camps along the border. Hundreds arrived before Muslim noon prayers on Friday at one of the tent camps near the border community of Khuzaa.
Israeli forces fired tear gas that landed inside the encampment, causing people to run and push each other away to the other side of the camp. The canisters landed where TV live vans were positioned.
A sand berm has been erected in recent days between the fence and the camp for extra protection. A dozen ambulances are parked nearby.
The IDF said that since morning “there were violent protests at five sites along the Gaza border in which hundreds of Palestinians were taking part.”
“Our forces will not allow any harm to the security infrastructure and the fence that protects Israeli citizens,” it said, noting that it had declared the area a closed military zone.
Friday’s march is the second of what Gaza’s ruling Hamas terror group said would be several weeks of “March of Return” protests which Hamas leaders say ultimately aim to see the removal of the border and the liberation of Palestine.
Israel has accused Hamas of trying to carry out border attacks under the cover of large protests and said it will prevent a breach of the fence at all costs.
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