A 17-year-old boy was killed and dozens injured after Israeli forces fired live bullets and gas at Palestinians protesting near the border fence in Gaza on September 7, according to health officials and both Israeli and Palestinian media.
Thousands of demonstrators reportedly gathered after Friday prayers. Fires were lit to create smokescreens, missiles were fired using slingshots, and at least one effigy of US President Donald Trump was burned, as this video shows. The United States on August 24 said it was cutting $200 million in aid to Palestinians, reportedly on the advice of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The decision came eight months after Trump, in December, upended decades of US policy by recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
The footage here also shows Israeli forces using a drone to fire gas canisters at protesters.
Just a few hours into the protest, the Palestinian Ministry of Health reported that one person had been killed and 94 were injured after live bullets and tear gas was fired at protesters. Palestinians said Israeli snipers were responsible for the death of the 17-year-old, named as Bilal Khafaja.
Palestinian media outlet Quds Network, which shared this footage, reported Israeli gunfire in Khan Younis in response to a petrol bomb being thrown at Israeli forces.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) had earlier said it had fired upon Palestinians who were launching “arson balloons” into Israel. Palestinian media shared images of balloons being launched from the Gaza Strip. Credit: Quds Network via Storyful
