LETHAL force was used again yesterday against unarmed Palestinians demonstrating on the Gaza border as Israeli forces open fired, killing two Palestinians.
Thousands of protesters gathered near the border fence east of Khan Yunis, part of a six-week rally dubbed the ‘Great March of Return’ which began last Friday. Over 80 protesters were also reportedly injured by Israeli forces’ gunfire and others suffocated from teargas inhalation as the forces continued to attack peaceful protesters for the second consecutive Friday.
The protesters are demanding the return of the refugees to their homes in historical Palestine. Israel deployed tanks, armoured vehicles and special forces near the fence and gave shoot-to-kill orders to its troops.
Troops took up positions across a ridge on the other side of the fence and set up a giant fan about two metres high in an apparent bid to push away the smoke from piles of burning tyres.
Israeli human rights group B’Tselem has called on soldiers to refuse to open fire on unarmed demonstrators, saying orders to do so are ‘blatantly unlawful’. The protests are slated to continue until 15 May, which marks the 70th anniversary of the Palestinian Nakba (Catastrophe), in which more than 750,000 Palestinians were forcibly displaced.
