ISRAEL/GAZA - Violence has broken out on the Israel-Gaza border in a so-called day of tyres called by the Hamas group.

Thousands of Palestinian protestors are burning tyres and demanding Israel end its occupation.

The Israeli side of the Israel-Gaza board has been declared a closed military zone.

There were plumes of smoke that are coming across the border from Gaza where there are reports from the Palestinian Health Ministry that there are 40 people injured.

Initial reports suggest that one person has died from his wounds but that still needs to be independently verified.

The health ministry is also saying that most of the injuries are, as to be expected, to the upper body.

There are reports that the Palestinian protestors have reached two border points in eastern Rafah and east Bregje but it’s not yet clear if they’ve managed to penetrate the border.

The Israeli army is repeatedly saying that they will allow for no protestors to enter Israel. </s> Hundreds of Palestinians have converged on the Gaza Strip’s border fence with Israel, trying to rip through it before drawing heavy Israeli fire in one of the most violent incidents yet in five weeks of protests.

Hundreds of Palestinians have converged on the Gaza Strip’s border fence with Israel, trying to rip through it before drawing heavy Israeli fire in one of the most violent incidents yet in five weeks of protests.

At least 38 protesters have been killed by Israeli live fire and more than 2,100 wounded in the weekly protests since they began on March 30. Israel has rejected the international criticism, saying it is defending its sovereign border and accusing Gaza’s Hamas leaders, who are organising the protests, of using the crowds as cover to carry out attacks.

In Friday’s unrest, a large crowd gathered a few hundred metres from the border, with some throwing stones and setting tyres on fire in what has become a weekly occurrence. Late in the afternoon, dozens of young men broke away from the larger protest, moving south about 200 metres and approaching the fence.

The crowd then tried to break through the fence with hooks and wire cutters when Israeli forces opened fire. Witnesses said three protesters briefly crossed into Israel and turned around. Hundreds more ran to the scene, and the numbers quickly grew to several thousand. Israeli armoured vehicles sped to the site and fired barrages of tear gas. As gunfire erupted, the crowd dispersed.

It said “hundreds of rioters” tried to burn the fence and enter Israel. It said the crowd threw explosives, firebombs and rocks, and that troops opened fire “in accordance with the rules of engagement” and halted the crowd.

It released a video showing a young Palestinian man placing a burning tyre along the fence in an apparent attempt to set it on fire. In another, a small group lobs stones at an Israeli military vehicle on the other side of the fence. In other incidents, the military said Palestinian crowds rolled burning tyres, hurled rocks and flew kites with flaming objects attached with the goal of damaging the fence and other Israeli targets.

It also released a photo appearing to show a group of youths tugging at barbed wire along the fence. The marches, aimed in part at trying to break a decade-old border blockade, have been organised by Gaza’s militant Hamas rulers but have also been driven by widespread despair in the coastal territory of two million people.

Gaza organisers say the marches are also pressing for the “right of return” of refugees and their descendants to what is now Israel. Two-thirds of Gaza residents are descendants of refugees who fled or were expelled from properties during the war surrounding Israel’s creation in 1948. The protests are to culminate on May 15, the anniversary of Israel’s creation. Hamas organisers have made conflicting statements about whether they plan a mass border breach at some point.

Israel has come under heavy international criticism for allegedly using excessive force. Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, the UN high commissioner for human rights, said Israeli troops have not heeded warnings by the UN and others, repeatedly using lethal force against unarmed protesters in the past month. Gaza health officials say that four minors, including a 14-year-old boy, have been among the dead.

“The loss of life is deplorable, and the staggering number of injuries caused by live ammunition only confirms the sense that excessive force has been used against demonstrators — not once, not twice, but repeatedly,” the commissioner said. Israel’s UN ambassador, Danny Danon, said Israel is “diligently defending its sovereignty” and accused Mr Zeid of encouraging Hamas’s “exploitation of civilians”. </s> Palestinians burn tires at the border fence with Israel, east of Jabalia in the central Gaza city, during a protest on April 13, 2018.

One Palestinian was killed and 233 were wouned by live israeli fire as more than 10,000 protested along the Israel-Gaza border on Friday, burning tires and Israeli flags, the Gaza Health Ministry said.

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According to the Israeli army, protests were held at five different sites along the border.

Haaretz

The Health Ministry in Gaza identified the Palestinian killed in the protest as Asalam Saudi Hasralla, 28. Overall, 969 Palestinians were wounded in Friday's protest, with 233 wounded by live fire and 419 evacuated to the hospital. Of those wounded, 20 were women and 67 were under age 18. Thirteen Palestinians were wounded by rubber-tipped bullets. The ministry noted that the number of protesters was lower than last week.

According to the army, numerous attempts to destroy obstacles erected by the army were made during the day. They also said that a number of attacks were attempted, with explosives and firebombs thrown at the border, as well as gunfire.

Third week of protests along Gaza border

>> The Koran according to the Israeli army: A good Palestinian woman stays away from protests

Later on Friday, the Israeli military said that attempts were made to breach and cross the border fence. An explosive charge was thrown in the Karni area, and firebombs were thrown at the border. A kite with a Molotov cocktail was sent towards the Israeli side of the border, but it fell on the side of Gaza, and no one was hurt.

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Palestinians: Smoke grenade fired a medical tent, ten medics suffer smoke inhalation - דלג Palestinians: Smoke grenade fired a medical tent, ten medics suffer smoke inhalation

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The army reiterated it is opening fire only according to its protocols and will not allow anyone to harm Israel's "defense infrastructures," calling demonstrators "violent rioters and terrorists."

Palestinians said that a smoke grenade was fired at a medical tent, causing ten medics to suffer from smoke inhalation.

Friday's protests were the third round of mass demonstrations in the Gaza Strip, amid reports in Gaza that some demonstrators were preparing firebombs for what they termed “Molotov Day,” a reference to so-called molotov cocktails. The demonstrations’ organizers, however, denounced that idea, stressing that the protests are meant to be “nonviolent resistance.”

Palestinians take cover from tear gas smoke during clashes with Israeli security forces near border fence with Israel, east of Gaza City in the central Gaza Strip on April 13, 2018. Several thousand G MAHMUD HAMS/AFP

>> Marching in Gaza, my brother risks death - to feel free | Opinion

One organizer told Haaretz that "Israel is trying in every way to pin the marches on Hamas and it's very convenient for them if this action becomes violent on the Palestinian side, and that's why we won't allow it."

He charged that Israel’s airstrikes on Hamas positions over the past week show that Israel is trying to draw the Palestinians, and especially Hamas, into a full-on confrontation.

As this Friday’s theme, organizers plan to have the demonstrators burn Israeli flags and wave Palestinian ones.

The kite with a Molotov cocktail that was meant to fly over the Gaza border on April 13, 2018.

Army braces for violence

Due to both the demonstrations in Gaza and the tension in the north, Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot has cut short his trip to Poland, where he was participating in the annual March of the Living. He had decided to cut the trip short before he left and even considered not going at all, because of the situation in Syria. Ultimately, however, he decided to go but return a day early.

On the Gazan front, the IDF has used both sticks and carrots over the past week to persuade Hamas to stop the violent attacks that have accompanied the Palestinian demonstrations.

If Hamas doesn’t stop the violence, the army warned, Israel will retaliate by attacking Hamas positions deep inside Gaza. But it also offered an economic carrot in the form of expanding the zone in which Gazan fisherman are allowed to fish – a decision that was hardly self-evident given that just last week, the state indicted a Gaza resident for planning attacks on Israeli naval vessels together with several co-conspirators.

The IDF expects this Friday’s demonstration to attract roughly the same number of people as last Friday’s, but hopes that it will be less violent on both sides. It has stressed that it won’t tolerate continued violent demonstrations in Gaza at a time when tensions are running high in the north.

Overall, almost 1,300 Palestinians were shot and wounded by Israeli soldiers over the past couple of weeks of mass protests on the Gaza-Israel border, according to a computerized count by the Gaza Health Ministry. An additional 1,554 Gazans have been treated for tear gas inhalation or injuries by rubber-coated steel pellets.

In addition, 34 Palestinians have been killed during this period, including 27 in border demonstrations. </s> GIRONA - Catalan activist groups burned tyres and tried to block highways across northeast Spain on Thursday as part of a day of protests against the trial of 12 separatist political leaders for their part in a declaration of independence in 2017.

Eleven highways in Catalonia were affected by the protests, police reported, adding that they were working to keep traffic flowing. Police said there had been some scuffles with protesters but no major incidents were reported.

Members of local groups, working under the name Committees for the Defence of the Republic (CDRs), have staged similar protests across the region ever since the arrests following the illegal declaration of secession in the Catalan parliament.

The 12 Catalan separatist leaders went on trial in Madrid last week over the failed independence bid that triggered Spain’s biggest political crisis in decades.

On Thursday, pro-independence Catalans plan to strike as part of protests which will include marches held by supporters of civil groups Omnium and the Catalan National Assembly (ANC) at midday and a bigger march in the evening.

The extent of the strike was not immediately clear while police said major roads had been reopened after initial obstructions to traffic had been removed.

Former ANC leader Jordi Sanchez and the ex-head of Omnium Jordi Cuixart are in the dock on Thursday as part of the trial which is expected to last for at least three months.

Defendants face charges of rebellion, sedition and misuse of public funds, which they all deny. </s> A black car shot firecrackers at a crowd protesting outside the Tin Shui Wai police station in Hong Kong on Tuesday night, injuring at least ten of them.

Hundreds had gathered at the site to raise their voice against the arrest of two young protestors.

While there is a formal ban on firecrackers in Hong Kong, footage and photos show how the black car zipped through at around 02:30 am, firing rounds of crackers at the crowd. The crowd ran for cover but several people were burnt and knocked to the ground, and are reportedly suffering from sensory damage.

The car was a Toyota bearing the licence plate LP3369. However, public records show that car registered with the plate should be a black Nissan, raising questions over whether the car was using a false plate, reported the Hong Kong Free Press.

In over a month of protests, Hong Kongers have delt with rubber pellets, tear gas, an unidentified gang of men in white-shirts who beat them with sticks and rods and now firecracker attacks. What started as protests against an Extradition Bill that would authorise China to declare and take action against anyone they considered a national threat has now become an increasingly violent fight for autonomy.

Watch: In Hong Kong pro-democracy protesters were beaten up by unidentified men in white shirts



Hong Kong: Protestors storm Parliament, deface walls on the anniversary of handover to China



Watch: In Hong Kong, a crowd of nearly two million protestors parts to make way for an ambulance </s> The violence came shortly after a top UN official urged Israel to refrain from using excessive force against the protesters.

The Israeli military accused Gaza's Hamas leaders of orchestrating what it called a "serious and irregular" attack and said it would not tolerate similar activity in the future.

GAZA, Palestinian Territory—Hundreds of Palestinians converged on the Gaza Strip's border fence with Israel on Friday, trying to burn and rip through it before drawing heavy Israeli fire in one of the most violent incidents yet in five weeks of protests. Three Palestinians were killed and dozens were reported wounded.

At least 38 protesters have been killed by Israeli live fire and more than 1,600 wounded in the weekly protests since they began March 30. Israel has rejected the international criticism, saying it is defending its sovereign border and accusing Gaza's Hamas leaders, who are organizing the protests, of using the crowds as cover to carry out attacks.

In Friday's unrest, a large crowd gathered a few hundred metres from the border, with some throwing stones and setting tires on fire in what has become a weekly occurrence.

Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus, a military spokesperson, said the event was unlike anything Israel has seen over the past month. He said an estimated 500 to 700 protesters carried out a "deliberate attack" on the fence, throwing firebombs and explosives, trying to set it on fire with burning tires and attempting to tear it down with a metal hook and winch system.

In a statement, the Israeli military said it had "thwarted" an attempted infiltration by Palestinian protesters and opened fire "in accordance with the rules of engagement" to halt the crowd. It released a video showing a young Palestinian man placing a burning tire along the fence in an apparent attempt to set it on fire.

Palestinian health officials reported three people killed and 611 wounded, including 138 hit by live fire in incidents along the border throughout the day.

Hundreds of additional protesters ran to the scene, and Israeli armoured vehicles sped to the site and fired barrages of tear gas. As gunfire erupted, the crowd dispersed. A dozen Palestinian ambulances jammed a dirt road lining up to evacuate the wounded. Some in the crowd shouted "shahid," or "martyr," as bodies were taken away on stretchers.

Late in the afternoon, dozens of young men broke away from the larger protest, moving south about 200 metres and approaching the fence. The crowd then tried to break through the fence with hooks and wire cutters when Israeli forces opened fire. Witnesses said three protesters briefly crossed into Israel and turned around.

He said the incident was notable in the number of protesters, the speed they moved and the "audacity with which they attacked." He claimed Hamas leaders had been in the area encouraging the crowd.

"We saw a totally irregular event and severe attack, which was clearly orchestrated by Hamas leaders on the ground who were urging the rioters on, and to run toward the fence, to assault the fence," he said. He said Israel would not tolerate Hamas attempts "to use civilians as human shields and as a disguise for terrorists trying to infiltrate into Israel."

The marches, aimed in part at trying to break a decade-old border blockade, have been organized by Gaza's militant Hamas rulers but have also been driven by widespread despair in the coastal territory of 2 million people.

Gaza organizers say the marches are also pressing for the "right of return" of refugees and their descendants to what is now Israel. Two-thirds of Gaza residents are descendants of refugees who fled or were expelled from properties during the war surrounding Israel's creation in 1948. The protests are to culminate on May 15, the anniversary of Israel's creation.

Hamas said late Friday that Israeli aircraft hit two boats at Gaza's port. Witnesses said the explosions severely damaged the boats.

The boats were being prepared to sail beyond the six-nautical-mile limit set by Israel in protest of the maritime restrictions on Gaza, a Hamas activist familiar with the issue said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the venture had not yet been announced.

The boats were to sail May 15 as part of the mass protests.

Hamas organizers have made conflicting statements about whether they plan a mass border breach at some point.

Hamas' supreme leader, Ismail Haniyeh, visited a protest camp in the southern town of Rafah, vowing larger protests in Gaza, the West Bank, Israel and among Palestinian refugees in other countries on May 15. "Our people will not slow down the protests until they get their rights," he said.

The Israeli military has repeatedly said it will not allow Gazans to burst across the border. Israeli communities are located just a few hundred metres away.

However, Israel has come under heavy international criticism for allegedly using excessive force.

Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, the UN high commissioner for human rights, said Israeli troops have not heeded warnings by the UN and others, repeatedly using lethal force against unarmed protesters in the past month.

Gaza health officials say that four minors, including a 14-year-old boy, have been among the dead.

"The loss of life is deplorable, and the staggering number of injuries caused by live ammunition only confirms the sense that excessive force has been used against demonstrators — not once, not twice, but repeatedly," the commissioner said.

Israel's UN ambassador, Danny Danon, said Israel is "diligently defending its sovereignty" and accused Zeid of encouraging Hamas' "exploitation of civilians." He said the commissioner is "not focused on human rights, but only with obsessively criticizing Israel."

Thousands have taken part in the Friday demonstrations from five protest tent camps, each set up several hundred metres from the border fence. Small groups usually move toward the fence, setting tires ablaze to hamper the vision of the security forces while others throw stones or firebombs.

Israeli soldiers, including snipers taking cover behind sand berms, have responded by firing tear gas, rubber-coated steel pellets and live rounds.

Israel's military has said troops are under orders to target "instigators," but has also warned that anyone approaching or trying to damage the fence risks his life.

Rights groups have said such open-fire rules are unlawful because they allow soldiers to use potentially lethal force in situations where their lives are not in danger.

Israeli officials have said that some of the protesters in recent weeks tried to damage the border fence or plant explosives along it. Others have tried to set Israeli fields on fire on the other side of the fence by hurling improvised explosives or firebombs, or flying the flaming kites.

A group of Palestinian activists calling themselves "the tires unit" arrived Friday on a truck laden with old tires. A van mounted with loudspeakers followed the truck with chants and applause. Tires were set ablaze, filling the air with thick smoke. With hooks and a long rope, the activists pulled at parts of the barbed wire adjacent to the fence.

Israel and Egypt imposed the Gaza blockade in 2007, in response to a violent takeover of the territory by Hamas, which had won Palestinian parliament elections a year earlier. The blockade has gutted Gaza's economy.

Hamas' Interior Ministry announced that Egypt had agreed to open the Rafah border crossing for three days, beginning Saturday. The temporary opening is the second this month. </s> KHUZAA, Gaza Strip (AP) - Palestinians torched tires near Gaza's border with Israel on Friday, sending huge plumes of black smoke into the air and drawing tear gas and live fire from Israeli soldiers deployed on the other side of the border fence.

At least 12 protesters were reported wounded.

Under the cover of smoke, dozens of protesters approached the fence in one area, despite warnings by the Israeli military that those who did so risked their lives. Activists said they were burning the tires in hopes the acrid smoke would block the view of Israeli snipers.

Israel's military sprayed a thick liquid from water cannons toward the fence, apparently to douse the flames.

A dozen people were wounded by live fire, according to reports from medics and a news website run by Gaza's ruling Hamas movement.

This included 10 who arrived at a field hospital set up near the border community of Khuzaa, in one of five tent camps for protesters.

Mohammed Ashour, 20, who had been among the first to set tires on fire, had been shot in the right arm. He rested on a stretcher placed on the ground.

"We came here because we want dignity," he said before paramedics carried him to an ambulance to be transported to the strip's main hospital.

Earlier in the day, hundreds of Palestinians had streamed to the five tent camps for what Hamas hoped would be the second mass protest in a week.

Last Friday, more than a dozen protesters were killed by Israeli fire and hundreds injured, Gaza health officials said.

Yehia Abu Daqqa, a 20-year-old student, said he had come to demonstrate and honor those killed in the past.

"Yes, there is fear," he said of the risks of advancing toward the fence. "We are here to tell the occupation that we are not weak."

Protesters also moved toward other camps, including east of Gaza City, where a senior Hamas leader, Mahmoud Zahar, greeted the crowd.

Friday's march is the second in what Gaza's Hamas rulers said would be several weeks of protests against a decade-old border blockade of the territory.

Israel has accused Hamas of trying to carry out border attacks under the cover of large protests and said it will prevent a breach of the fence at all costs.

Israel's defense minister has warned that protesters approaching the border fence endanger their lives, drawing condemnation from rights groups that said such seemingly broad open-fire rules are unlawful.

A leading Israeli rights group, B'Tselem, issued a rare appeal to Israeli soldiers to refuse "grossly illegal" orders to fire at unarmed protesters.

A White House envoy urged Palestinians to stay away from the fence. Jason Greenblatt said the United States condemns "leaders and protesters who call for violence or who send protesters - including children - to the fence, knowing that they may be injured or killed."

Last Friday, thousands of Gaza residents participated in the demonstration, many gathering in five tent encampments that had been set up from north to south along the narrow coastal strip's border with Israel, each at a distance of about several hundred meters from the fence. Smaller groups, mostly young men, rushed forward, throwing stones, hurling firebombs or burning tires and drawing Israeli fire.

In all, 22 Palestinians were killed in Gaza over the past week, among them 16 involved in last Friday's protests, according to Gaza health officials. This includes a 30-year-old who died on Friday of injuries sustained last week, the officials said.

The six other deaths included three gunmen killed in what Israel said were attempts to attack the border and three men who were struck by Israeli tank fire.

Last week's turnout was apparently driven by the organizational prowess of Hamas as well as the growing desperation of Gaza residents who live in what has been described as the world's largest open-air prison.

The crowd size was seen as a test for Hamas, an Islamic militant group that seized the territory in 2007 from its political rival, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Ahead of Friday's march, Hamas announced it would pay compensation to families of those killed or injured, ranging from $200 to $500 per injury and $3,000 per death.

Late Thursday, activists urged residents over loudspeakers mounted on vans touring the streets to show up for what they called the "Friday of Tires."

The idea of mass protests was initially floated by social media activists, but was later co-opted by Hamas, with the backing of smaller militant factions.

For Hamas, it's perhaps the last chance to break a border blockade enforced by Israel and Egypt since 2007, without having to succumb to demands that it disarm.

The blockade has made it increasingly difficult for Hamas to govern. It has also devastated Gaza's economy, made it virtually impossible for people to enter and exit the territory and left residents with just a few hours of electricity a day.

Hamas leaders billed the final protest, set for May 15, as the "Great March of Return" of Palestinian refugees and their descendants, implying they would try to enter Israel. But they stopped short of specifically threatening a mass breach of the border fence.

Israel has warned that it will not permit a breach of the fence and said it has a right to defend its sovereign border.

Military officials have said Hamas has used the protests as a cover for damaging the fence, planting explosives and, in one incident, opening fire on soldiers.

Israel argues that Hamas could have ended the suffering of Gaza's 2 million people by disarming and renouncing violence.

Hamas has refused to give up its weapons - even at the cost of derailing talks on getting Abbas to assume the burden of governing Gaza, seen by Israel and Egypt as a prerequisite for opening Gaza's borders.

Associated Press writers Karin Laub and Mohammed Daraghmeh in Ramallah, West Bank, contributed to this report. </s> “For lo! That day is at hand, burning like an oven. All the arrogant and all the doers of evil shall be straw, and the day that is coming—said God of Hosts—shall burn them to ashes and leave of them neither stock nor boughs.” Malachi 3:19 (The Israel Bible™)

What should be the final protest on the border with Israel ended with 15,000 Palestinians angrily setting ablaze the crossing used to bring humanitarian aid into Gaza.

Rioting Palestinians caused more than $9 million in damages to the infrastructure at the Kerem Shalom Crossing, the main conduit for goods to enter Gaza. This was the second week in a row the crossing was attacked by Palestinians who set fire to the border crossing on Friday night. Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman and the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), Maj. Gen. Kamil Abu Rokon, approved a recommendation to close the Kerem Shalom crossing until repairs are made. It will be opened for humanitarian cases which will be considered on an individual basis. The arson also targeted gas lines that provided natural gas to Gaza.

The IDF statement said, “Israel and many countries around the world work to deliver goods such as food, equipment and fuel to Gaza’s citizens, initiatives which are prevented by the Hamas terror organization’s actions.”

Two brush fires were set in Israel by incendiary kites flown from Gaza over the security fence into Israel. Walla News reported that the IDF used specialized drones to attack the kites for the first time on Friday, bringing down over 40 kites on Friday.

On Saturday night, the Israeli Air Force (IAF) destroyed a half-mile long Hamas terror tunnel that had reached to within a few meters of the border in the vicinity of Israeli settlements. This was the ninth tunnel destroyed since October.

The IDF was monitoring the tunnel for several weeks before deciding to destroy it.



The March of Return protests began on March 30 and are set to end this week when the US Embassy opens in Jerusalem on Monday. 44 Palestinians have been killed in clashes with the IDF since the riots began. The IDF released a statement that it would double the number of troops on the Gaza border in preparation for the embassy opening when more riots are expected. </s> KHUZAA, Gaza Strip >> Palestinians torched tires near Gaza’s border with Israel on Friday, sending huge plumes of black smoke into the air and drawing tear gas and live fire from Israeli soldiers deployed on the other side of the border fence.

At least 12 protesters were reported wounded.

Under the cover of smoke, dozens of protesters approached the fence in one area, despite warnings by the Israeli military that those who did so risked their lives. Activists said they were burning the tires in hopes the acrid smoke would block the view of Israeli snipers.

Israel’s military sprayed a thick liquid from water cannons toward the fence, apparently to douse the flames.

A dozen people were wounded by live fire, according to reports from medics and a news website run by Gaza’s ruling Hamas movement.

This included 10 who arrived at a field hospital set up near the border community of Khuzaa, in one of five tent camps for protesters.

Mohammed Ashour, 20, who had been among the first to set tires on fire, had been shot in the right arm. He rested on a stretcher placed on the ground.

“We came here because we want dignity,” he said before paramedics carried him to an ambulance to be transported to the strip’s main hospital.

Earlier in the day, hundreds of Palestinians had streamed to the five tent camps for what Hamas hoped would be the second mass protest in a week.

Last Friday, more than a dozen protesters were killed by Israeli fire and hundreds injured, Gaza health officials said.

Yehia Abu Daqqa, a 20-year-old student, said he had come to demonstrate and honor those killed in the past.

“Yes, there is fear,” he said of the risks of advancing toward the fence. “We are here to tell the occupation that we are not weak.”

Protesters also moved toward other camps, including east of Gaza City, where a senior Hamas leader, Mahmoud Zahar, greeted the crowd.

Friday’s march is the second in what Gaza’s Hamas rulers said would be several weeks of protests against a decade-old border blockade of the territory.

Israel has accused Hamas of trying to carry out border attacks under the cover of large protests and said it will prevent a breach of the fence at all costs.

Israel’s defense minister has warned that protesters approaching the border fence endanger their lives, drawing condemnation from rights groups that said such seemingly broad open-fire rules are unlawful.

A leading Israeli rights group, B’Tselem, issued a rare appeal to Israeli soldiers to refuse “grossly illegal” orders to fire at unarmed protesters.

A White House envoy urged Palestinians to stay away from the fence. Jason Greenblatt said the United States condemns “leaders and protesters who call for violence or who send protesters — including children — to the fence, knowing that they may be injured or killed.”

Last Friday, thousands of Gaza residents participated in the demonstration, many gathering in five tent encampments that had been set up from north to south along the narrow coastal strip’s border with Israel, each at a distance of about several hundred meters from the fence. Smaller groups, mostly young men, rushed forward, throwing stones, hurling firebombs or burning tires and drawing Israeli fire.

In all, 22 Palestinians were killed in Gaza over the past week, among them 16 involved in last Friday’s protests, according to Gaza health officials. This includes a 30-year-old who died on Friday of injuries sustained last week, the officials said.

The six other deaths included three gunmen killed in what Israel said were attempts to attack the border and three men who were struck by Israeli tank fire.

Last week’s turnout was apparently driven by the organizational prowess of Hamas as well as the growing desperation of Gaza residents who live in what has been described as the world’s largest open-air prison.

The crowd size was seen as a test for Hamas, an Islamic militant group that seized the territory in 2007 from its political rival, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Ahead of Friday’s march, Hamas announced it would pay compensation to families of those killed or injured, ranging from $200 to $500 per injury and $3,000 per death.

Late Thursday, activists urged residents over loudspeakers mounted on vans touring the streets to show up for what they called the “Friday of Tires.”

The idea of mass protests was initially floated by social media activists, but was later co-opted by Hamas, with the backing of smaller militant factions.

For Hamas, it’s perhaps the last chance to break a border blockade enforced by Israel and Egypt since 2007, without having to succumb to demands that it disarm.

The blockade has made it increasingly difficult for Hamas to govern. It has also devastated Gaza’s economy, made it virtually impossible for people to enter and exit the territory and left residents with just a few hours of electricity a day.

Hamas leaders billed the final protest, set for May 15, as the “Great March of Return” of Palestinian refugees and their descendants, implying they would try to enter Israel. But they stopped short of specifically threatening a mass breach of the border fence.

Israel has warned that it will not permit a breach of the fence and said it has a right to defend its sovereign border.

Military officials have said Hamas has used the protests as a cover for damaging the fence, planting explosives and, in one incident, opening fire on soldiers.

Israel argues that Hamas could have ended the suffering of Gaza’s 2 million people by disarming and renouncing violence.

Hamas has refused to give up its weapons — even at the cost of derailing talks on getting Abbas to assume the burden of governing Gaza, seen by Israel and Egypt as a prerequisite for opening Gaza’s borders.

Associated Press writers Karin Laub and Mohammed Daraghmeh in Ramallah, West Bank, contributed to this report.
Protestors begin burning tyres at the border.