Seven Palestinians shot in quietest Gaza Friday protests in months

-shaheennews

GAZA CITY- Seven Palestinians were shot and wounded by Israeli fire in Gaza Friday, the health ministry in the enclave said, in the quietest weekly border protests there since they began in March

Reports Thursday suggested Egypt had brokered a deal that would see Gaza’s rulers Hamas end the months of demonstrations in exchange for a loosening of Israel’s crippling blockade on the strip

The protests went ahead on Friday but local media suggested Hamas was keen to keep them calm to ensure goodwill with mediators Egypt and the United Nations

Thousands again gathered in several sites across the border Friday but largely stayed away from the barrier, AFP correspondents said

At a demonstration east of Gaza City, Hamas security personnel were seen preventing protesters from getting too close to the fence

Unlike previous protests, demonstrators did not fly kites with attached incendiary devices across the border to set fire to Israeli farmland, while few tyres were burned, the correspondents said

The previous week’s demonstrations saw seven Palestinians killed and a further 180 others wounded by Israeli fire during fierce clashes, according to the ministry

At least 218 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire since protests began on March 30

One Israeli soldier was killed by a Palestinian snipe