Two Palestinian teenagers were killed during a protest along the Israeli-Gaza separation fence Friday evening. Following these events, the Israeli air forces then attacked several targets of Hamas in Gaza.
On Friday, 6 September, two Palestinian teenagers, 17-year-old Ali Sami Al-Ashqar and 14-year-old Khalid Al-Raba‘I, residents from the Ashati refugee camp, were killed during massive protests.
Furthermore, 76 protesters have been injured, of whom 46 suffered from injuries caused by live ammunition. Approximately 6,200 Palestinians were protesting adjacent to the fence.
Additionally, the Israeli Defense Forces stated that they arrested two Palestinians, who tried to cross the boundary amid the protests.
A spokesperson of Hamas, Hazem Qassem, stated that “Violating the blood of peaceful demonstrators in the marches of return and deliberately targeting them is a crime that the occupation bears all its repercussions.”
According to the IDF, the excessive use of violence was necessary because of “Violent demonstrations during which around 6,200 protesters assembled in several locations along the Gaza border fence”.
Furthermore, the IDF stated that “the demonstrations were of an especially violent nature, which included a large amount of IEDs, grenades and Molotov cocktails being thrown towards IDF forces along the fence.”
Only a few hours after the protests, five rockets entered Israeli territory, reportedly causing no injuries. The Israeli air forces carried out a new series of attacks in retaliation for the missiles launched from Gaza.
As reported by the WAFA, the airstrikes hit several locations in the Gaza strip, causing no injuries.
According to the IDF, a tank hit a Hamas outpost north of Beit Hanun, and a drone attacked a Hamas observation station close to Beit Lahiya. One rocket caused a small fire near the Israeli village Sderot reported by Israeli media.
Following the attacks on Friday night, the IDF attacked another target in southern Gaza, after an improvised explosive device hit a vehicle, causing light damage.
The protests marked the 73rd week of the weekly demonstrations, Great March of Return, in which Palestinian protesters in Gaza are addressing the continuing blockade of the Gaza strip and demand the right of return for Palestinian refugee to their former land in Israel.
According to the Palestine Centre for Human Rights, since the outbreak of the on 30 March 2018, 210 Palestinians have been killed.