The Gaza Health Ministry reported Friday that two protesters were killed amid demonstrations along the Gaza border fence. The Israeli Defense Forces have not yet commented on the issue.
The weekly protest led by Hamas was aimed to attract attention to the Israeli-Egyptian blockade, which was set after the militant group took control of Gaza in 2007. Apart of protests, Hamas has currently been holding meetings with Egyptian officials in Cairo, seeking a possible truce.
Israel has repeatedly accused Hamas of using the protests to covering attacks along the country’s border with Gaza. The IDF underlined that its actions during the ongoing rallies are aimed to defend Israeli borders.
The tensions between the Israelis and the Palestinians near the Gaza border has been growing since late March, which marked the beginning of the Palestinian protest campaign against Israel, dubbed the Great March of Return. Over 160 Palestinians were killed in clashes since that time.
However, since the beginning of protests, Israel and Hamas reached a number of temporary ceasefire agreements through Egyptian mediation.
On August 13, Channel Ten reported that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and several advisers, as well as security guards, visited Cairo on May 22 for talks with Sisi in an effort to settle the crisis around Gaza triggered by the opening of the US embassy in Jerusalem and the anniversary of the establishment of the State of Israel, which prompted a Palestinian exodus in 1948.
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