Palestinian demonstrators remain nonviolent as tear gas from Israeli troops fills the air.
In the 7th and last weekly protest at the Gaza-Israel border, one Palestinian was killed, and 167 were injured, bringing the death toll to at least 48. Tuesday, Nakba Day, will be the culminating protest – preparations are underway, and so are attempts to stop it.
from Al Jazeera
Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip are protesting for the seventh Friday in a row as part of the Great March of Return movement.
The rallies are part of a six-week protest that will culminate on May 15 to mark what Palestinians refer to as “the Nakba” or “catastrophe” – a reference to Israel’s establishment in 1948, when 750,000 Palestinians were forcibly removed from Palestine.
Since the protests began on March 30, at least 48 Palestinians in the coastal enclave have been killed by Israeli forces and more than 8,500 wounded.
Marchers are demanding the right to return to their homes seized by Israel in 1948.
Here are all the latest updates as of Friday, May 11:
Palestinian killed, more than a hundred wounded
Israeli forces have shot dead a 40-year-old man, Jaber Salem Abu Mustafa, east of Khan Younis, according to the health ministry.
Abu Mustafa died when he was shot in the chest with live ammunition.
Ashraf al-Qidra, spokesperson for Gaza’s health ministry, says 167 other people have been wounded due to live ammunition, tear gas, and rubber-coated steel bullets.
One journalist is among those injured. He sustained an injury in the foot east of Khan Younis.
Al-Qidra says medical staff are conducting therapeutic treatment for dozens wounded by Israeli forces, including women and children.
Preparations under way for Nakba protest
Al Jazeera’s Stefanie Dekker, reporting from the Gaza-Israel border, says the youth have been arriving at the protests with tyres which will be burned to obscure the view for Israeli forces positioned with snipers on the other side of the fence.
“We’ve already seen one youth injured this morning, hit by live fire. He was very close to the fence, taken away in ambulance,” Dekker said.
“What people here will tell you is that there is a lot of pressure. It has resulted in a lot of pressure on Israel.
“We’re understanding from sources that there are talks under the table to prevent the Nakba protest from happening. Why? Because hundreds of thousands of people are expected to show up – not just at this point but all along the border with Israel.”
Dekker explained that there may be less demonstrators attending this Friday’s protests compared to previous weeks because Palestinians are preparing for far bigger protests in the days to come.
Israelis march in support of Palestinians in Gaza
Around noon, some 50 Israelis began marching towards the Gaza border protesting against the Israeli blockade on the Gaza Strip and the Israeli army’s use of lethal force against unarmed Palestinian protesters.
