Fears of more deaths in Gaza as Israel's actions condemned

Fears of more deaths in Gaza as Israel's actions condemned

  May 14, 2018    upendo

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aza (CNN)Another day of protests is expected at the Gaza border Tuesday as international condemnation poured in over Israel's use of force against unarmed Palestinian protesters this week.

At least 58 Palestinians were killed by Israeli troops during protests over the Trump administration's controversial opening of the US Embassy in Jerusalem, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry, the deadliest day in Gaza since the 2014 Israeli invasion.

Doctors Without Borders called on the Israeli army to stop using deadly force against demonstrators, saying their actions were "unacceptable and inhuman."

"This bloodbath is the continuation of the Israeli army's policy during the last seven weeks: shooting with live ammunition at demonstrators, on the assumption that anyone approaching the separation fence is a legitimate target," Marie-Elisabeth Ingres, the group's representative in Gaza, said in a statement.

Medical units carry away a wounded Palestinian shot by Israeli forces during a protest on the border fence separating Israel and Gaza on May 14, 2018.

French President Emmanuel Macron also condemned "the violence of the Israeli forces against protesters," in a statement, while Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop called on Israel to be "proportionate in its response and refrain from excessive use of force."

In a phone call with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan "condemned the attacks and wished Allah's mercy to all martyrs," according to the official Anadolu news agency. Turkey is recalling its ambassadors to Washington and Tel Aviv for consultations, according to state-run Anadolu Agency.

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres was "profoundly alarmed" by the violence in Gaza and urged Israeli forces to "exercise maximum restraint in the use of live fire," his deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said.

A proposed UN Security Council press statement, put forward by Kuwait, was blocked by the US, according to a UN diplomat.

The draft statement, which was provided to CNN by a UN diplomat, included language expressing "outrage and sorrow at the killing of Palestinian civilians exercising their right to peaceful protest."

It also reaffirmed UN resolutions on the status of Jerusalem, saying that recent events had "no legal effect" under international law. The statement was not passed by the Security Council, after being withdrawn once the US blocked it, according to a UN diplomat.

A Palestinian carries an injured man during protests near the border between the Gaza strip and Israel on May 14, 2018.

Violent response

Around 35,000 protesters gathered at the border of Gaza and Israeli territory Monday to object to the embassy move, continuing the "Great March of Return" demonstrations which have been ongoing since March in the run up to the 70th anniversary of the founding of the state of Israel and expulsion of thousands of Palestinians.

Israeli troops used tear gas and live ammunition to try and disperse the crowd, killing at least 58 and injuring as many as 2,700, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.

Most of the dead were killed by Israeli fire near the border. CNN journalists heard gunshots in spurts and saw a tank moving toward the fence in the border area of Malaka. Israeli drones also dropped tear gas in an effort to disperse protesters.

In a statement, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) accused the Palestinian militant group Hamas, which controls Gaza, of "leading a terrorist operation" and inciting the protesters, who had assembled in numerous locations along the border fence, to conduct what Israel described as terror attacks.

The military alleged some protesters threw rocks and Molotov cocktails, and burned tires. The IDF also claimed to have foiled an attack by three armed Palestinians near Rafah, close to the border with Egypt, during "a particularly violent demonstration."

Many of the injured Palestinians were young men who were hit by live ammunition, according to British-Palestinian Dr. Ghassan Abu Sitteh, who spoke to CNN from a hospital run by a British charity in Jabaliya camp in northern Gaza.

Monday's death toll was the biggest number of fatalities suffered in one day since the latest round of demonstrations began more than six weeks ago. The previous high was 17, which happened on the day the protests started on March 30.

Palestinians rush to the border fence with Israel as mass demonstrations at the fence continue on May 14, 2018 in Gaza.