Dr. Ashraf al-Qidra, spokesman for the Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip, says that the number of Palestinian protesters injured during anti-occupation protests, along the fence separating the besieged enclave and the occupied territories, clearly points to the fact that Israel is dogged to either kill or maim the demonstrators.
“The Israeli occupation forces’ use of lethal force against civilians in the east of Gaza Strip has resulted in the martyrdom of 271 citizens and the injury of 16,500 others,” Ashraf al-Qidra said, on Tuesday.
He noted that Israeli military forces had used various types of live bullets, in addition to unconventionally coded gas bombs that cause serious or permanent injuries.
Qidra further highlighted that the Israeli regime has developed its repressive methods using live bullets and tear gas canisters as a tool for killing and maiming Palestinian protesters.
Palestinians have held weekly rallies on the Gaza border to protest the siege on the enclave and demand the right for refugees to return to the homes which they fled, during the 1948 creation of Israel.
More than 270 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces ever since anti-occupation protest rallies began in the Gaza Strip, on March 30, 2018. Over 16,000 Palestinians have also sustained injuries, PNN further reports.
The Gaza clashes reached their peak on May 14 of last year, on the eve of the 70th anniversary of Nakba Day (Day of Catastrophe), which coincided, this year, with the US embassy relocation from Tel Aviv to occupied East Jerusalem .
The resolution called on UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres to make proposals within 60 days “on ways and means for ensuring the safety, protection, and well-being of the Palestinian civilian population under Israeli occupation,” including “recommendations regarding an international protection mechanism.”
It also called for “immediate steps towards ending the closure and the restrictions imposed by Israel on movement and access into and out of the Gaza Strip.”
