Gazans protest on Israel border for sixth Friday in row

By Nour Abu Aisha

GAZA CITY, Palestine

Scores of Palestinians were injured on Friday while taking part in ongoing rallies along the Gaza Strip’s eastern border with Israel, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.

Earlier today, Palestinians began gathering at camps set up along the border for the demonstration’s sixth consecutive Friday.

“We have redoubled our efforts with a view to achieving our aims,” Mohamed al-Harrazin, a protest organizer, told Anadolu Agency.

By mid-afternoon, as many as 170 protesters had been injured near the border, at least 22 by Israeli cross-border gunfire, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.

Since the rallies began on Mar. 30, at least 47 Palestinian demonstrators -- including five children -- have been killed, according to ministry figures.

Thousands of others have reportedly been injured -- more than 140 seriously -- over the same period.

Protesters demand the “right of return” to their homes in historical Palestine from which they were driven in 1948 to make way for the new state of Israel.

The rallies are set to culminate on May 15, which will mark the 70th anniversary of Israel's establishment -- an event Palestinians refer to as the "Nakba" or "The Catastrophe".