Gaza: Israeli occupation troops shot dead two Palestinians, aged 25 and 15, wounded at least 220 others at protests along the Gaza border on Friday, Gaza health officials said, as diplomats sought to secure a durable ceasefire deal.
Over four months of weekly Friday border protests that began on March 30 have reduced in intensity lately but organisers have vowed they would continue until the Israeli occupation regime lifts economic sanctions on the coastal enclave.
The Israeli occupation military said some 8,000 Gazans had participated in the protests at five locations along the border. A Gaza hospital official said of the 220 hurt, 90 suffered wounds as a result of the live fire. At least 159 Palestinians have been killed in the protests and one Israeli occupation soldier was shot dead by a sniper in Gaza.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cancelled a trip to Colombia next week, his office said, and is due to consult with top ministers on Sunday on proposals to end the tensions, Israeli media has reported.
Some top ranking Hamas officials arrived in Gaza from Egypt late on Thursday to discuss the possible deal but no details have been given. The delegation included the group’s deputy chief, Saleh Al Arouri, exiled by Israel in 2010. “The delegation will (consult) ... over issues of concern for the Palestinian people, foremost in achieving the national reconciliation and ending the Gaza blockade,” Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said before the delegation arrived.
More than two million Palestinians are packed into the narrow strip which suffers deep economic hardship.
The Israeli regime maintains tight control over Gaza’s land and sea borders, and has launched three wars on the territory since 2008.
On Sunday, Nickolay Mladenov, the UN special coordinator for the Middle East peace process, said on Twitter that he held “productive meetings” with Egyptian officials in efforts to de-escalate Gaza tensions and resolve humanitarian issues.
“The devil is always in the details but we are #movingforward in the interest of #peace,” Mladenov said.
Israeli media said the regime was seeking a long-term commitment from Hamas to end the protests and halt the launch of the incendiary balloons and kites, in exchange for lifting restrictions on the passage of goods and travel for Gaza.
Speaking about the Hamas delegation’s visit, Hamas political official Hussam Badran said: “We will achieve a national unity of the highest level in order to break (Israel’s) blockade ... We want the blockade to end once and for all.”
