JERUSALEM, May 11 (Xinhua) -- A Palestinian was killed and dozens injured during a mass rally near the fence between the Gaza Strip and Israel on Friday, Palestinian and Israeli sources said.
Palestinian media reported that a man in his forties was killed by Israeli fire and a 16-year-old teenager was critically injured. The Palestinian Health Ministry said that at least 30 more people were injured.
An Israeli military spokesperson said that about 5,000 Palestinians participated in the rallies in five locations along the fence separating between Gaza and Israel.
"The rioters are violent, burning tires and hurling rocks at the security fence and at IDF (Israel Defense Forces) soldiers and launching kites with burning items attached to them with the intention of igniting fires in Israeli territory," the spokesperson said in a statement.
The spokesperson warned that the army "will not allow any harm to the security infrastructure or security fence and will continue to defend and ensure the security of the citizens of Israel and Israeli sovereignty, as necessary."
The rally was part of a series of weekly marches towards the fence. The demonstrators protest the crippling blockade that Israel and Egypt have imposed on them since 2007.
Tensions were spiraling ahead of Monday, when tens of thousands of people from the besieged Palestinian enclave will march in the "Great March of Return" and the U.S. will relocate its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in a controversial move condemned by the Palestinians.
