By Prarthana Mitra
At least 17 Palestinians died and over 1,400 protestors have been injured, including 758 by live fire, with the rest hurt by rubber bullets and tear gas, on Friday in a confrontation with the Israeli troops, reports Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian representative to the United Nations. 30,000 Palestinians swarmed the northern Gaza border in protest, where the Israeli Defence Forces opened fire on them, touting it as riot control.
The mass protest is being estimated as being the largest in Gaza in the recent years and was on the same day as Palestinian Land Day when over 40 years ago, the Palestinian-owned land was confiscated by Israel. The protest was intended to be a peaceful, six-week sit-in, against Israel’s blockade of the territory, although Gazas political and militant group Hamas had warned the rioters of increasing border security and possible military fire.
As thousands of Gazans marched across the tent cities to the border that separated them from Israel, this March of Return quickly turned violent after they clashed with Israeli border security forces, amidst reports of protesters throwing Molotov cocktails, stones, burning tires at the fence.
Several videos also showcase Israeli troops firing on unarmed protestors, which has garnered wide-scale criticism from the international community.
What did the IDF say?
In a statement released by the IDF, they said Palestinians were “rioting throughout the Gaza Strip, rolling burning tires and hurling stones at the security fence” including at IDF troops. The IDF also added that confrontations particularly increased on Saturday as fighter jets targeted three Hamas sites were in retaliation for an attack on an IDF site.
The IDF had increased troop presence and deployed snipers at the border ahead of the protest, and said troops were rightfully responding with riot dispersal means and firing towards main instigators. They also blamed Hamas for how the protest resulted in hostility and casualty. Even before the campaign had begun, defence minister Avigdor Lieberman tweeted, The Hamas leadership is risking your lives, he said. I advise you to get on with your normal everyday lives and not to participate in the provocation.
The situation continues to escalate
Fridays backlash was one of the worst that the region has seen and is believed to have been motivated by increasing isolation from all neighbouring countries including Egypt which recently joined Israel in the blockade. This is furthered by an economic crisis due to heavy sanctions and restrictions imposed by the Palestinian Authority on the movement of goods and people in and out of the West Bank. Tension is likely to escalate in light of recent events, as human rights watch and various political outfits in the region express solidarity for the cause of the Palestinians.
A Hamas spokesperson Fawzi Barhoum said in an interview with CNN that volume of rioters and their determination is an indication of the of the Palestinian people to return and to “break the siege” of Gaza. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas of the opposing Fatah party held Israeli forces responsible for the incident and declared Saturday as a day of mourning.
United Nations Responds
In a statement released on Saturday, deputy spokesman of the United Nations Secretary-General Farhan Haq said the Secretary-General has called for an “independent and transparent investigation into these incidents.”
Haq added that the Secretary-General also wishes to appeal to everyone “concerned to refrain from any act that could lead to further casualties and in particular any measures that could place civilians in harm’s way.”
The escalation of violence on the strip has “also reaffirmed “the readiness” of the world body to revitalize peace efforts, Haq said.
The incident also garnered a response from the international community, with many condemning Isreal’s use of live ammunition.