GAZA: A Palestinian was killed by Israeli gunfire during clashes in the northern Gaza Strip on Friday, said the health ministry of the freedom fighter movement Hamas which runs the territory.
“Aeid Jumaa, 35, was killed and six other Palestinians were wounded during clashes along the Gaza border (with Israel) north of Jabalia,” ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra said.
The Palestinian group Islamic Jihad in Gaza issued a statement saying that Jumaa was one of its members and was in fact aged 22.
An Israeli army spokeswoman, contacted by AFP, said hundreds of Palestinian demonstrators had burned tires and been throwing stones the length of the security fence between Israel and Gaza.
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“Our forces had to arrest suspects to prevent damage to the security fence,” she said, but was unable to confirm the casualties from gunfire.
A wave of unrest that broke out in October 2015 has claimed the lives of 269 Palestinians, 41 Israelis, two Americans, two Jordanians, an Eritrean, a Sudanese and a Briton, according to an AFP tally.
Israeli authorities allege most of the Palestinians killed were carrying out knife, gun or car-ramming attacks.
However, others were shot dead during protests or clashes, while some were killed in Israeli air strikes on Gaza.
The violence has subsided in recent months.
