Israeli forces have killed one Palestinian protester and injured several others before and during an ongoing major protest action by thousands of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and along the so-called buffer zone set up by Israel.
Thousands of Palestinian men, women, and children gathered on the “buffer zone” in the southern Gaza Strip on Friday, March 30, which marks the Palestinian Land Day, when Palestinians annually protest to demand the right of return for those of their people who have been driven out of their homeland due to the Israeli occupation.
The protesters have set up tents for a six-week protest action to demand that the displaced Palestinians be allowed to return to the land that belongs to them.
Expecting the protests, the Israeli regime earlier deployed 100 snipers to the Gaza border and authorized them to use live ammunition and “a lot of force” against the protesters.
Footage from the scene of the ongoing protest also shows Israeli tanks and armored vehicles deployed and moving along the buffer zone.
Israeli forces have been firing live bullets and tear gas to disperse the protesters.
At least three protesters were injured by Israeli gunfire on Friday.
Earlier on the same day, Israeli tank shelling into Gaza had killed a Palestinian farmer, identified as Omar Sammour, 27.
According to local reports, Israeli soldiers stationed to the east of the Gaza Strip been targeting agricultural land lots and young farmers with gunfire since Wednesday, when local Palestinians first began setting up the tents for the protest action.
Land Day marks the day in 1976 when Israeli forces shot and killed six Palestinians during demonstrations against the occupation and confiscation of land by the Israeli regime.
Meanwhile, al-Mayadin network reported that Israeli forces had attacked Palestinian protesters with massive use of tear gas in the eastern Rafah border area in the southern Gaza Strip.
Midday on Friday, thousands of Palestinians from across the besieged enclave had gathered at and more were streaming toward the tents.
The Hamas resistance movement had called on the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip as well as the West Bank to widely participate in the Land Day protest action on Friday.
(This item is being updated.)