Two Palestinians killed by Israeli fire amid fresh Gaza protests

Two Palestinians killed by Israeli fire amid fresh Gaza protests
The Israeli military said it struck targets "throughout the Gaza Strip".
1 min read
20 July, 2018
Israeli forces fire tear gas canisters at Gaza protesters [File photo: Getty]

Two Palestinians were killed on Friday by Israeli fire near Khan Yunis in southern Gaza, the health ministry in the strip said, as hundreds renewed protests near the border.

A security source and eyewitnesses said the Palestinians were killed in a strike targeting an observation point of Hamas, the Islamist group that runs Gaza.

The Israeli army confirmed air strikes and tank fire targeted military posts "throughout" the Gaza Strip. It said it retaliated after shots were fired at Israeli troops. 

At least 146 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire since protests began along the Gaza border on 30 March.

No Israelis have been killed.

Palestinians are calling to return to the homes their families were forced from in 1948, during the war surrounding the creation of Israel.

Protesters have also called for an end to the decade-long crippling blockade on the Palestinian enclave.

Israel says its use of live fire is necessary to defend its borders and stop infiltrations but human rights groups accuse it of disproportionate force against unarmed protesters. 

Palestinians mourned on Saturday when two Palestinian children were killed - and at least fourteen others injured - from Israeli rocket strikes on Gaza, the largest daylight attack on the strip since the 2014 war. On Thursday, Hamas fighter Abdul Kareem Radwan was killed in an Israeli air strike east of Rafah.