3 Palestinians shot dead in Gaza clash
April 29, 2018
Israeli soldiers shot and killed three Palestinians in two separate incidents near the Israeli border with Gaza on Sunday.
The Israeli army said soldiers shot two of the Palestinians after they entered Israel from the Palestinian territory and threw explosives at Israeli forces.
Around a half-hour earlier, troops shot and killed a Palestinian trying to scale a fence on Gaza's southern border with Israel. Another Palestinian, who was with the man, was wounded in the exchange and arrested.
Read more: Palestinians killed as Israeli troops fire at protesters in Gaza
Weeks of clashes
Sunday's incidents are the latest violent border clashes since anti-Israel protests began in Gaza on March 30.
Dozens of Palestinians have been killed and thousands have been injured during the unrest. Israel has not reported any serious casualties.
Hamas, the ruling militant group in Gaza, instigated the weekly demonstrations to protest against a decade-old Israeli blockade of the territory.
Israel and Egypt began blockading Gaza after Hamas seized power in 2007. The action has crippled Gaza's economy and made it difficult for many Palestinians to enter and leave.
Read more: Israeli forces kill 4 Palestinians in Gaza border protests
'Last resort'
The United Nations, the European Union and rights groups have criticized Israeli troops for firing upon unarmed Palestinian protesters.
Israel has said it only uses live fire as a "last resort." It has also accused Hamas of exploiting civilians by using them as cover to carry out attacks against Israeli forces.
The protests are to culminate on May 15, the 70th anniversary of Israel's founding. Palestinians mark the date as their "nakba," or catastrophe. In 1948, around 760,000 Palestinians fled Israel after the country was founded.
amp/cmk (AFP, dpa, AP)