Hundreds of Palestinians marched towards the Erez border crossing in northern Gaza on Thursday afternoon as part of the day's protests in commemoration of the 'nakba' – or catastrophe. Palestinian have reported that several youths were wounded by IDF gunfire as troops tried to prevent the group from reaching the crossing.
Witnesses told Ynet that troops were also seen arresting a second group of young men.
Earlier in the afternoon sources reported that soldiers had used tear gas and fired warning shots in the air in an attempt to disperse the crowd. Troops are still on high alert throughout the region.
Several thousand Palestinians, the majority of whom are Hamas loyalists, assembled in northern Gaza earlier in the day.
"Even after 60 years, the Palestinian people clings to the hope that it will return to its home to build an independent state," said Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in a special televised speech on Palestinian television.
"Only the end of the occupation and the establishment of a Palestinian state can ensure Israel's security," he said, adding that "the Palestinians' strategic choice is peace, a life of peace in an independent nation whose heart and capital is Jerusalem."
The nakba commemoration events officially commenced Thursday morning as sirens wailed throughout Palestinian towns as residents observed a two-minute silence. Conferences and rallies are scheduled to be held throughout the day, with the central event to be hosted in Ramallah.
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