Some 20,000 Palestinians take part in Gaza border riots. The Palestinian health ministry said on Friday that at least three demonstrators, including a 12-year-old boy, were killed and 126 were wounded by IDF fire during violent clashes that erupted along Gaza Strip’s frontier with Israel as some 20,000 protesters gathered along the security fence as part of the weekly March of Return demonstrations.
The protesters set alight tires and threw explosive devices at IDF troops, who responded with riot control measures, which for the first time included the use of sponge-tipped bullets.
The IDF Spokesperson’s Unit said in a statement that in response to “grenades and explosive devices” hurled at troops during the protests, an IAF aircraft carried out two airstrikes on Hamas militant positions in the Gaza Strip. The statement added that some protesters crossed the fence to throw grenades on Israeli territory before returning to the strip.
Earlier, IDF said that it closed off to traffic at least four roads adjacent to the Gaza Strip border due to fears of a possible escalation of hostilities in the area.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the situation on the southern border during Friday’s meeting with German Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs Heiko Maas, “Israel would take strong action against Gaza for every action against Israel and the residents of the south”, he stressed.
