2018 Gaza border protests
| 2018 Gaza border protests | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Gaza–Israel conflict | |||
Palestinian protestors seen at the Israel-Gaza border
|
|||
| Date | 30 March 2018 – present (1 month and 2 weeks) |
||
| Location | Gaza Strip, near the Israeli border | ||
| Goals |
|
||
| Parties to the civil conflict | |||
|
|
|||
| Units involved | |||
|
|||
| Number | |||
|
|||
| Casualties | |||
|
|||
On 30 March 2018, a six-week campaign composed of a series of protests was launched at the Gaza Strip, near the Gaza-Israel border. Called by Palestinian organizers the "Great March of Return", the protests demand that Palestinian refugees and their descendants be allowed to return to what is now Israel. They are also protesting the blockade of the Gaza Strip.
Organization of the protests was initiated by independent activists, and has been endorsed and supported by Hamas, as well as other major factions in the Gaza Strip. It is supposed to last between 30 March (Land day) and 15 May (Nakba Day). Five tent camps were set up 500 to 700 meters from the border and were to remain there throughout the campaign. Israeli forces have killed 47 Palestinians since 30 March, a number of whom Israel claim have been members of various Palestinian militant organizations; 40 of those were killed in the course of the protests. No Israeli soldiers or civilians have been injured or killed, as of 3 May.
In the first event on 30 March, thirty thousand Palestinians participated in the protest near the border. Most of the demonstrators at the tent camps hundreds of meters from the border demonstrated peacefully, but groups consisting mainly of young men approached the border, rolled burning tires towards the fence, and threw stones and Molotov cocktails at Israeli troops. The camps have remained in place since that day. Comparatively larger protests have been held on Fridays, 6 April 13 April, 20 April, 27 April, and 4 May—each of which involved at least 10,000 demonstrators—while smaller numbers attend activities during the week. Beginning on 6 April, Palestinians brought large numbers of tires to create smoke shields for the protests. According to witnesses, Palestinians used stones and Molotov cocktails, while the Israeli military used tear gas and live ammunition.
...
Wikipedia