Israeli forces fatally shoot three Palestinians in Gaza
Israeli forces have shot dead three Palestinians during clashes with anti-occupation protesters at the fence separating the besieged Gaza Strip from the occupied territories.
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The Gaza Health Ministry said Shadi Abdul Aziz Mahmoud Abdulal, a 12-year-old boy, was killed after Israeli forces shot him in the head east of the city of Jabalia in the besieged Gaza Strip on Friday.
Ashraf al-Qedra, the spokesman for the ministry, added that Israeli troops shot dead Muhammad Shaqora, 21, east of al-Bureij refugee camp.
The third victim was identified as Hani Ramzi Afana, 21, from Rafah.
Many injuries were also reported during the Friday's clashes. Children were among the casualties.
Tensions have been running high near the fence since March 30, which marked the start of a series of protests dubbed “The Great March of Return.” Palestinian protesters demand the right to return for those driven out of their homeland.
The clashes in Gaza reached their peak on May 14, the eve of the 70th anniversary of Nakba Day, or the Day of Catastrophe, which coincided this year with Washington's relocation of the US embassy from Tel Aviv to occupied Jerusalem al-Quds.
Israeli fire has taken the lives of nearly 175 Palestinians since March 30. More than 19,000 Palestinians have also sustained injuries.
On June 13, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution, sponsored by Turkey and Algeria, condemning Israel for Palestinian civilian deaths in the Gaza Strip.
Gaza has been under Israeli siege since June 2007, causing a decline in living standards as well as unprecedented unemployment and poverty.
Israel has also launched several wars on the Palestinian sliver, the last of which began in early July 2014 and ended in late August the same year. The Israeli military aggression killed nearly 2,200 Palestinians and injured over 11,100 others.