Gaza protests

Tens of thousands of Gazans gathered along the border of Israel on March 30, making semipermanent camps at five locations, to protest in favor of the “right to return,” demanding that Palestinian refugees be allowed to return to their former homes in Israel. The protests were scheduled to last until May 15.

On the 30th, at least 16 Palestinians were killed and hundreds were injured by the Israeli military when protesters approached the border fence. Israel maintains a “buffer zone” at the border and has a policy of firing on anyone entering that zone. Both live ammunition and nonlethal weapons were used on protesters by the Israeli military. In the West Bank, at least 65 Palestinians were injured during solidarity protests.