Palestinians in Gaza pledge to defy Israel to protest at border

Palestinian groups in Gaza say they will maintain protests against the blockade, despite Israeli fire wounding dozens.

Gaza City, Gaza Strip – Palestinian groups in Gaza have pledged to continue protests along the border to pressure Israel to remove its blockade and to allow for the reconstruction of Gaza following the recent 11-day Israeli assault on the coastal enclave. The factions, led by Gaza’s rulers Hamas, held a press conference on Sunday afternoon east of Gaza near the Israeli fence, where protests took place on Saturday in which scores of Palestinian protesters were wounded by Israeli live fire. In a joint statement released after the press conference, the groups – which also included Islamic Jihad, the left-wing Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), as well as other smaller factions – stated that “the Israeli occupation must bear the responsibility for its obstruction of the reconstruction of Gaza, and for the blockade”.