Sept. 28 (UPI) — Israeli troops fatally Israeli troops in the chest during March of Return protests near the Gaza border and injured dozens of others.
Relatives mourned Saher Othman at a funeral Saturday in Rafah. The 20-year-old Palestinian protester died from wounds after Israeli Defense Forces shot him in the chest the previous day near the border.
The Al Mezan Center for Human Rights said 95 people were injured in the protests Friday, with 30 children and nine volunteer paramedics among them. The Jerusalem Post said 65 people sustained injuries.
Injuries included wounds from live fire and tear gas canisters. Medical sources reported that five of the injured were in critical condition.
Roughly 7,000 Palestinian demonstrators were taking part in the weekly Friday protests along the Israel-Gaza border. The Great March of Return protests call for the return of refugees to their homes and lands from which they were displaced in 1948.
More than 310 Palestinians have been killed and tens of thousands have been injured since the protests began March 30, 2018.
IDF spokespeople have said that soldiers have opened fire “in accordance with standard operating procedures.” Israel also said it has no choice but to use deadly force at the protesters to defend the barrier at the border from militants trying to infiltrate it and destroy it.
