Palestinian protesters run to take cover from tear gas fired by Israeli troops during clashes near the Gaza-Israel border, east of Gaza City, on Sept. 21, 2018. At least one Palestinian was killed and 312 were injured on Friday in clashes in eastern Gaza Strip bordering Israel, the health ministry said. (Xinhua/Wissam Nassar)
GAZA, Sept. 21 (Xinhua) -- At least one Palestinian was killed and 312 were injured on Friday in clashes in eastern Gaza Strip bordering Israel, the health ministry said.
Gaza Health Ministry Spokesman Ashraf al-Qedra said that the clashes between hundreds of Palestinian protesters and Israeli soldiers have killed a Palestinian young man in his 20s and injured 159, among which 33 were hit by gunshots.
On Friday, thousands of Palestinian protesters joined the 26th Friday of the marches of return to break the Israeli siege, which started on March 30 in eastern Gaza Strip that borders Israel.
The protesters burned tires, waved Palestinian flags, chanted slogans against Israel and threw stones at Israeli soldiers stationed on the border. The soldiers fired back with tear gas and gunshots.
The protesters also managed to cut the barbed wire of the border fence, get into Israel and burn tires in front of the Israeli army lookout posts at the border.
According to Israeli media, they also released dozens of arson balloons from eastern Gaza Strip into Israel causing large fires in various agricultural fields in the area.
The Israeli media also said that Palestinian activists threw homemade hand grenades at the soldiers on the border, lightly injuring an Israeli soldier.
Palestinian security officials in Gaza said that the Israeli army targeted three separate Islamic Hamas movement military posts close to the border with Israeli drones missiles and artillery bombs, no injuries reported.
Yehya Sinwar, top Gaza leader of Islamic Hamas movement, said Friday that the marches of return to defy the Israeli blockade will continue until it succeeds.
"We will carry on with the marches of return until we achieve the goals of lifting the siege," Sinwar told Palestinian protesters in eastern Gaza city as he joined the weekly march.
He slammed the Palestinian Authority for its security coordination and cooperation with Israel, saying "we are backing our people until they achieve their goals, and those who bit on security coordination with Israel are the losers."
The Gaza-based Highest Commission of the "Great March of Return" warned in a press statement that "the Israeli enemy has to know that we won't accept the continuation of the siege because our people are suffering from woes."
The commission called on the international community to listen to "the voices of the patients and the wounded" while also referring to the hard life of around two million Palestinians.
According to the health ministry in Gaza, Israeli forces have killed at least 178 Palestinians, and injured 19,000 others since the beginning of the rally against Israel's 12-year crippling blockade and the U.S. embassy move to the disputed holy city of Jerusalem.
Efforts by Egypt and UN Special Coordinator Nickolay Mladenov have so far failed to broker a cease-fire agreement between Israel and the Hamas-led militant groups in the Gaza Strip.
