Report: IDF fire on Palestinians protesting near border fence with Gaza
Gaza protests turns violent as group nears border with Israel, begins to throw stones; no injuries reported.
The IDF has reportedly opened fire on a group of Palestinian protesters who approached the border fence between Gaza Strip and Israel.
The incident, which has not yet been confirmed by the IDF, followed reports of a Hamas-backed protest held earlier in Gaza decring the Israeli-Egyptian blockade on Gaza.
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The march was attended by Hamas' Gaza leader Isamil Haniyeh who demanded the world free Gaza from the siege.
According to Palestinian reports, a group of protesters neared the Erez Crossing border terminal, crossing the Palestinian checkpoint from the Gazan side of the border. Once they neared the Israeli crossing, they began throwing stones, prompting the IDF to fire in the air.
On Friday, IDF forces shot at two Palestinians who came close to crossing the security fence in northern Gaza. One of the men who passed the fence suffered a light to moderate wound to his leg, and the other suspect retreated back to Gaza.
An IDF soldier was seriously wounded Wednesday after an IDF patrol convoy sustained sniper fire near the southern Gaza Strip around noon, prompting the army to return fire into Gaza, in the most serious escalation along the southern border since a violent 50-day summer conflict ended.
Yoav Zitun contributed to this report
