Gazans return en masse to Israel border; 36 injured

For the seventh Friday in a row, thousands of Palestinians converged on the Gaza Strip’s 45-kilometer eastern border with Israel as part of ongoing rallies against the decades-long occupation.

By early afternoon, at least 36 protesters had been injured -- four of them seriously -- by Israeli troops deployed along the other side of the border, according to Ashraf al-Qidra, a spokesman for Gaza’s Health Ministry.

“The Israeli army is deliberately targeting women and children taking part in the demonstrations,” al-Qidra said, noting that a 16-year-old boy had been seriously injured after being struck in the head by a bullet.

Since the border rallies began on Mar. 30, at least 47 Palestinians have been killed -- and hundreds more injured -- by cross-border Israeli army gunfire, according to the Health Ministry.

Protesters are demanding the “right of return” to their homes in historical Palestine from which they were driven in 1948 to make way for the new state of Israel.

The border rallies will culminate on May 15 (next Tuesday), which will mark the 70th anniversary of Israel's establishment -- an event Palestinians refer to as the "Nakba" or "The Catastrophe".