Palestine: Israel kills man protesting in Gaza

Israeli troops shot and killed a 26-year-old Palestinian during a protest near the Gaza-Israel border yesterday, a Palestinian health official said.

An Israeli military spokeswoman said troops had fired shots to disperse Palestinians trying to breach the Gaza border fence and authorities were investigating reports that one person had been killed.

The Gaza health officials said Mohammad Abu Sada was killed by Israeli gunfire and that two others were wounded. Dozens of protesters gather for demonstrations along the Gaza-Israel border every Friday.

Israel operates a militarised buffer zone on Palestinian land that reduces the ability of Gazans to move freely within their own land. The demonstrations usually lead to Israeli soldiers opening fire on Palestinians who respond by throwing rocks at the Israeli troops.

At least 227 Palestinians have been killed in violence in the occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip since October 2015. Israel claims 154 of them were assailants, though this has never been independently verified. Others died during clashes and protests.

Palestinians, many of them acting alone and with rudimentary weapons, have killed at least 33 Israelis.

Palestinian leaders say assailants have acted out of desperation over the collapse of peace talks in 2014 and Israeli settlement expansion in Israeli-occupied territory that Palestinians seek for an independent state.

Palestinians have accused Israeli police and soldiers of using excessive force in many cases, saying the assailants could have been stopped or detained without being shot and killed.

Israel has also been found to have accused Palestinians of attempting to stab Israelis, only for footage to later be leaked that proves that the Palestinians were unarmed and defenceless when they were shot dead by occupation forces.