Clashes between Palestinians and Israeli troops along the border in the southern Gaza Strip turned deadly Friday, with two people being killed by Israeli gunfire, according to the territory's health minister and Gaza medics.
Ministry spokesman Ashraf Al-Qudra said a 13-year-old boy was shot in the head near the town of Khan Yunis and a 24-year-old man was killed near Rafah. More than 130 people were injured in clashes Friday, the ministry said.
The Israeli military said thousands of Palestinians took part Friday in "extremely violent" demonstrations and "committed various acts of terror." The military said in a statement that a grenade had been thrown at soldiers, and that troops repelled numerous attempts by Palestinians to breach the border.
In response to the attempts, the Israeli forces used "large amounts of riot dispersal means," according to the statement. In places where that was not effective, troops "resorted to live fire."
The most recent protests along the Gaza border began on March 30. Weekly protests organized by the Islamic militant group Hamas, which rules the territory, have continued, with at least 137 Palestinians killed by Israeli troops.
Israel says it is defending its border and nearby communities, and accuses Hamas of using the protests as cover for militants to attack the border fence with Israel.
Hamas says demonstrators are pressing for a "right of return" for descendants of Palestinian refugees to ancestral homes in what is now Israel, as well as protesting the blockade of the Gaza Strip and the moving of the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in May.
