Health officials: IDF fire wounds 33 Gaza protesters
The Palestinian health ministry said Friday the IDF gunfire has wounded 33 Palestinians protesting along the Gaza-Israel perimeter fence.
Thousands of Palestinians demonstrated Friday despite wintry weather, throwing rocks with slingshots at Israeli troops deployed behind the fence. The soldiers repeatedly fired volleys of tear gas and live fire, witnesses say.
Hamas, the terror group controlling Gaza, has maintained such protests on a weekly basis since March, accelerating or scaling them down to pressure Israel and mediators into easing Gaza's crippling blockade.
Meanwhile, thousands of Hamas' civil servants queued outside banks to collect paychecks donated by Qatar.
For the second straight month, Israel allowed Qatari mediators to inject cash, hoping it would calm tensions.
