Israeli Forces Kill More Gaza Protesters at Friday Demonstrations

Israeli drone fired missile near Erez Crossing

A week after Gaza’s Land Day protests, tens of thousands of demonstrators showed up at the Gaza border for the “day of tires,” where protesters burned tires near the border fence. As with the previous week, Israeli forces positioned and the border opened fire on protesters, killing several.

As with last week’s attack, the death toll is still being sorted out as of the evening, but at least 10 were reported killed, including two teenagers, and around 1,000 Palestinians were wounded. The toll is less than the previous week, as the rally was smaller.

That’s still a lot of casualties, and Israeli forces even used a drone to attack and kill a protester, suggesting that Israel is continuing to raise the stakes, and risk more unrest along the Gaza border, where a protracted blockade and constant airstrikes have left the population angry and desperate.

Organizers say that they intend to hold protests weekly for six weeks at the Gaza border. The second week has come and gone, and there’s little sign it’s going to evaporate. Unfortunately, there’s also little sign the Israelis aren’t going to keep answering it with live ammunition.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.