At least 50 Palestinians reported dead in border protests on day of embassy move
Recent border protest has left at least 43 Palestinians dead

At least 50 Palestinians reported dead in border protests on day of embassy move

The protests are part of the March of Return, protests that have taken place every Friday at the border for the last seven weeks.

Palestinians carrying a wounded man during a protest against United States’ plans to relocate its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, near Al Bureij Refugee Camp at the Gaza-Israel border, May 14, 2018. (Photo by Hassan Jedi/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
Palestinians carrying a wounded man during a protest against United States’ plans to relocate its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, near Al Bureij Refugee Camp at the Gaza-Israel border, May 14, 2018. (Photo by Hassan Jedi/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

JERUSALEM — At least 50 Gazan Palestinians have been killed at the border with Israel, where tens of thousands have gathered for protests in the hours before the dedication of the new U.S. embassy in Jerusalem.

About 50,000 Palestinians massed on the border by mid-afternoon on Monday. Several thousand more Palestinian protesters are located more than a quarter of a mile from the border fence in a tent area, the IDF said. There are at least 10 flashpoint areas along the border.

In addition to the dead, more than 1,000 are injured, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which has reported that one of the dead protesters is 14. The IDF said that it is responding with riot dispersal means and is “operating according to standard operating procedures.”

Protesters in the West Bank also began marching from Ramallah toward the Qalandiya checkpoint near Jerusalem, with smaller marches starting out from other West Bank cities such as Bethlehem, Hebron, Nablus and Jericho.

Palestinian protesters clash with Israeli security forces following a demonstration near the border with Israel in the southern Gaza Strip on March 31, 2018, a day after at least 16 Palestinians were killed and hundreds wounded in Land Day protests. (Photo by Abed Rahim Khatib/Flash90)
The protests are part of the March of Return, protests that have taken place every Friday at the border for the last seven weeks, leaving at least 48 Palestinian protesters dead and thousands wounded. The protests were supposed to end on May 14, the day on the Gregorian calendar when Israel became an independent state 70 years ago, which the Arab world calls the Nakba, or catastrophe. Hamas leaders have called for the protests to continue beyond Monday, however.

The IDF warned that up to 250,000 Palestinian protesters could come to the Gaza border on Monday and breach it, entering Israel.

“The IDF is prepared for a variety of scenarios. IDF commanders are present in the field and are conducting situation assessments. The IDF will act forcefully against any terrorist activity and will operate to prevent attacks against Israelis,” the military said in a statement that also appeared on Twitter.

“The IDF will act harshly against any terrorist activity and will act to preserve Israeli sovereignty and prevent attacks on civilians and soldiers,” the statement said.

In an English-language video posted on social media, the IDF warned: “On Monday May 14th, the Hamas terrorist organization plans to send armed terrorists, among 250,000 violent rioters to swarm and breach Israel’s border with Gaza and enter Israeli communities. Hamas plans to carry out a massacre in Israel. The Israel Defense Forces will not let them.”

Meanwhile, at least five wildfires are burning near Jewish communities in southern Israel, which broke out after kites carrying explosives were flown from Gaza over the border. PJC

This story has been updated to reflect a more recent estimate of the number of protesters who were killed or injured.

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