Israel boosts Gaza border forces before protest
The Israeli military says it has beefed up forces along the Gaza border and dropped leaflets into the Gaza Strip urging residents to keep their distance from the border fence during large-scale protests expected Monday.
Gaza's ruling Hamas movement is urging tens of thousands of people to join Monday's protest -- which is meant to coincide with the opening of the new US Embassy in contested Jerusalem.
The protest is to culminate weeks of border marches aimed at breaking a crippling Israeli-Egyptian blockade. Hamas has indicated that large numbers of protesters could break through the border on Monday -- a scenario that could prompt Israel to respond with deadly force. Forty-two protesters have been killed during the past month of weekly protests.
The army says it is defending its border and uses live fire only as a last resort.
