The death toll doubled the number of Palestinians killed during six weeks of demonstrations, dubbed the “March of Return,” and came on the same day that a new U.S. Embassy opened in Jerusalem.

Tens of thousands of Palestinians had gathered on the edges of the fenced off blockaded territory from mid-morning. Many came to peacefully demonstrate, bringing their children, carrying flags. Food stalls sold snacks and music blared.

But the protests appeared to have a more violent edge than in previous weeks. Some young men brought knives and fence cutters. At a gathering point east of Gaza City, organizers urged protestors over loudspeakers to burst through the fence, telling them Israeli soldiers were fleeing their positions, even as they were reinforcing them.

Israeli snipers were determined not to allow a breach, and ambulances soon began screaming back and forth from the fence, as gunshots rang out over the crowd. No Israeli soldiers were injured, though, and Israel drew widespread condemnation for an excessive use of force.

More than 2,400 people were injured, according to the Palestinian health ministry in Gaza, including 1,200 from live ammunition.

The United Nations said that “those responsible for outrageous human rights violations must be held to account,” and Human Rights Watch described the killings as a “bloodbath.” Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas condemned a continuing “massacre” of the Palestinian people. Both Turkey and South Africa announced they were recalling their ambassadors from Israel.

Palestinians mark that day – known as the “nakba” or “catastrophe” — on Tuesday, when more demonstrations are planned. More than two-thirds of Gaza’s population is descended from refugees who were displaced at the time of Israel’s creation.

At Gaza City’s main al-Shifaa hospital, medics said they were overwhelmed.

“I don't know how we will manage,” said Ayman al-Sahbani, the head of the emergency department, as families jostled to get in to see injured relativ

The hospital had set up a new additional 30-bed triage area outside, and earlier in the day said it had the capacity to treat 200 or 300 serious gunshot wounds. It had received around 400 injured by around 6.pm., and most of those had been shot, he said.

“We’ve reached the critical point now,” he said. “A lot of people need operations soon, but the operation room is full.”

Increasing economic hardship has fuelled frustrations in Gaza, along with wider despair across Palestinian territories amid moves by a U.S. administration seen as wholeheartedly on Israel’s side of the decades-old conflict.

At the demonstrations east of Gaza, some said the force used by Israel would only bring further unrest.

Standing a few hundred meters from the fence, Nirma Attalah, 29, said her 22-year-old brother had been killed two weeks ago. "My brother was shot in the head in this place," she said. She had come on Monday with her whole extended family. “We are here for Jerusalem, for Palestinian land,” she said.

A truck rolled past carrying young men chanting: “To Jerusalem we go with millions of martyrs” and “Death rather than humiliation.”

“People have come out of the rubble to say we will not forget our rights,” said Yousef Abu Saleh, 25. “The American administration is adopting the Israeli story and stealing our right of return.”

Palestinian demonstrators run from tear gas fired by Israeli troops during a protest against U.S. embassy move to Jerusalem and ahead of the 70th anniversary of Nakba, at the Israel-Gaza border east of Gaza City May 14, 2018.

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Israelis kill more than 50 Palestinians in Gaza protests, health officials say

Loveday Morris, Hazem Balousha

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ZEITOUN, Gaza Strip — Israeli forces killed 55 Palestinians on the boundary fence with Gaza on Monday, local health officials said, a level of bloodshed not seen since the most violent days of Israel’s 2014 war in the territory.
The death toll doubled the number of Palestinians killed during six weeks of demonstrations, dubbed the “March of Return,” and came on the same day that a new U.S. Embassy opened in Jerusalem.
Tens of thousands of Palestinians had gathered on the edges of the fenced off blockaded territory from mid-morning. Many came to peacefully demonstrate, bringing their children, carrying flags. Food stalls sold snacks and music blared.
But the protests appeared to have a more violent edge than in previous weeks. Some young men brought knives and fence cutters. At a gathering point east of Gaza City, organizers urged protestors over loudspeakers to burst through the fence, telling them Israeli soldiers were fleeing their positions, even as they were reinforcing them.
Subscribe to the Post Most newsletter: Today’s most popular stories on The Washington Post
Israeli snipers were determined not to allow a breach, and ambulances soon began screaming back and forth from the fence, as gunshots rang out over the crowd. No Israeli soldiers were injured, though, and Israel drew widespread condemnation for an excessive use of force.
More than 2,400 people were injured, according to the Palestinian health ministry in Gaza, including 1,200 from live ammunition.
The United Nations said that “those responsible for outrageous human rights violations must be held to account,” and Human Rights Watch described the killings as a “bloodbath.” Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas condemned a continuing “massacre” of the Palestinian people. Both Turkey and South Africa announced they were recalling their ambassadors from Israel.
It was jarring contrast with the star-studded opening ceremony for the embassy in Jerusalem, which drew first daughter Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner.

Slide 1 of 60: The U.S. and Israeli national flags are projected on a part of the walls surrounding Jerusalem's Old City, Israel May 14, 2018. REUTERS/Ammar Awad

Full screen

1/60 SLIDES © Ammar Awad/AP Photo

The U.S. and Israeli national flags are projected on a part of the walls surrounding Jerusalem's Old City, Israel, on May 14.

2/60 SLIDES © Nasser Nasser/AP Photo

Demonstrators fly balloons with Palestinian flags during clashes with Israeli troops after several thousand gathered in the West Bank city of Ramallah to protest the inauguration of the new U.S. embassy in Jerusalem, in the West Bank city of Ramallah, on May 14.

3/60 SLIDES © Osman Orsal/Reuters

Pro-Islamist demonstrators attend a protest in support of Palestinians and against the U.S. moving its embassy to Jerusalem, in Istanbul, Turkey, on May 14.

4/60 SLIDES © Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/Reuters

A relative of a Palestinian, who was killed during a protest at the Israel-Gaza border, mourns during his funeral in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, on May 14.

5/60 SLIDES © Burhan Ozbilici/AP Photo

Police officers observe as nearby protesters holding Palestinian flags chant slogans during a demonstration outside the Israeli embassy residence in Ankara, Turkey, against the move of the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, on May 14.

6/60 SLIDES © Amir Cohen/Reuters

Smoke from the tear gas fired by Israeli troops can be seen from the Israeli side of the border between Israel and Gaza, at the northern Gaza Strip, on May 14.

7/60 SLIDES © Ronen Zvulun/Reuters

Senior White House Adviser Ivanka Trump and U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin stand next to the dedication plaque at the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem, during the dedication ceremony of the new embassy on May 14.

8/60 SLIDES © Ronen Zvulun/Reuters

U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin unveils the seal for the new U.S. embassy, as he stands next to Senior White House Adviser Ivanka Trump during the dedication ceremony on May 14.

9/60 SLIDES © Ronen Zvulun/Reuters

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks as U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman sits next to him during the dedication ceremony of the new U.S. embassy in Jerusalem, on May 14.

10/60 SLIDES © Menahem Kahana/AFP/Getty Images

U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman arrives ahead of the inauguration of the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem on May 14, 2018.

11/60 SLIDES © Ronen Zvulun/Reuters

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Senior White House Advisers Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump and Israeli President Reuven Rivlin applaud during the dedication ceremony of the new U.S. embassy in Jerusalem, on May 14.

12/60 SLIDES © Sebastian Scheiner/AP Photo

U.S. President Donald Trump is seen on screen as he delivers a speech during the opening ceremony of the new U.S. embassy in Jerusalem, on May 14.

13/60 SLIDES © Sebastian Scheiner/AP Photo

Israelis hold American and Israeli flags with the new U.S. embassy in the background in Jerusalem, on May 14.

14/60 SLIDES © Ronen Zvulun/Reuters

U.S. marines take part in the dedication ceremony of the new U.S. embassy in Jerusalem, on May 14.

15/60 SLIDES © Ahmad Gharabli/AFP/Getty Images

Palestinians demonstrate outside the new US embassy as the ceremony to inaugurate the United States' controversial embassy in Jerusalem began on May 14.

16/60 SLIDES © Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images

Demonstrators take part in a protest outside of the Trump International Hotel in Washington, DC, against the opening of the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem on May 14.

17/60 SLIDES © Ashraf Amra/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

Palestinians protest to mark 70th anniversary of Nakba, also known as Day of the Catastrophe, in 1948.

18/60 SLIDES © Amir Cohen/Reuters

An Israeli police officer uses binoculars as he sits on a tree, as other police personnel stand close to the Israeli side of the border with the Gaza Strip, Israel, on May 14.

19/60 SLIDES © Mahmud Hams/AFP/Getty Images

Palestinians carry a demonstrator injured during clashes with Israeli forces near the border between the Gaza strip and Israel east of Gaza City on May 14, during a demonstration on the day of the US embassy move to Jerusalem.

20/60 SLIDES © Khalil Hamra/AP Photo

Palestinian protesters burn tires during a protest on the Gaza Strip's border with Israel, on May 14.

21/60 SLIDES © Ammar Awad/Reuters

Israeli Education Minister Naftali Bennett speaks during a reception hosted by the Orthodox Union in Jerusalem ahead of the opening of the new U.S. embassy in Jerusalem, on May 14.

22/60 SLIDES © Mussa Qawasma/Reuters

An Israeli border police officer throws a sound grenade towards Palestinian demonstrators during a protest against U.S. embassy move to Jerusalem and ahead of the 70th anniversary of Nakba, in Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank on May 14.

23/60 SLIDES © Ronen Zvulun/Reuters

A general view of the entrance to the new U.S. embassy in Jerusalem, on May 14.

24/60 SLIDES © Mohamad Torokman/Reuters

Palestinian demonstrators set up a barricade during a protest against U.S. embassy move to Jerusalem and ahead of the 70th anniversary of Nakba, near Israeli Qalandia checkpoint near Ramallah in the occupied West Bank on May 14.

25/60 SLIDES © Mohamad Torokman/Reuters

An Israeli soldier aims his weapon at Palestinian demonstrators during a protest against U.S. embassy move to Jerusalem and ahead of the 70th anniversary of Nakba, near Israeli Qalandia checkpoint near Ramallah in the occupied West Bank on May 14.

26/60 SLIDES © Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/Reuters

A Palestinian man helps a wheelchair-bound woman as closed shops are seen during a general strike against the U.S. embassy move to Jerusalem and ahead of the 70th anniversary of Nakba, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip on May 14.

27/60 SLIDES © Amir Cohen/Reuters

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claps after handing U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman a letter of appreciation, during a reception held at the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jerusalem, ahead of the moving of the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem, on May 13, in Israel.

28/60 SLIDES © Amir Cohen/Reuters

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara Netanyahu, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan, U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Senior White House Advisers Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump stand during the sounding of the U.S. national anthem at a reception held at the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jerusalem ahead of the moving of the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem, on May 13, in Israel.

29/60 SLIDES © Amir Cohen/Reuters

U.S. Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan speaks during a reception held at the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jerusalem, ahead of the moving of the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem, on May 13, in Israel.

30/60 SLIDES © Amir Cohen/Reuters

Senior White House Advisers Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump arrive for a reception held at the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jerusalem ahead of the moving of the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem, on May 13, in Israel.

31/60 SLIDES © Amir Cohen/Reuters

Senior White House Adviser Ivanka Trump is seen during a reception held at the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jerusalem ahead of the moving of the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem, on May 13, in Israel.

32/60 SLIDES © Ariel Schalit/AP Photo

A road sign leading to the U.S. Embassy is seen ahead of its official opening in Jerusalem, on May 13, in Israel. Monday's opening of the U.S. Embassy in contested Jerusalem, cheered by Israelis as a historic validation, is seen by Palestinians as an in-your-face affirmation of pro-Israel bias by President Donald Trump and a new blow to frail statehood dreams.

33/60 SLIDES © Lior Mizrahi/Getty Images

Israelis wave their national flags during a march outside Damascus Gate on May 13, in Jerusalem, Israel.

34/60 SLIDES © Ariel Schalit/AP Photo

A sign on a bridge leading to the U.S. Embassy compound in Jerusalem is seen on May 13, 2018, ahead of the new embassy's opening. In a controversial move, the United States will move its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem on May 14.
Jerusalem's Israeli-annexed eastern sector has been long sought for a future Palestinian capital, and the move is viewed by Palestinians as a U.S. breach of long-standing promises to help negotiate a fair arrangement for the contested city.

35/60 SLIDES © David Azagury/U.S. Embassy Tel Aviv/Handout/Reuters

White House senior advisor Ivanka Trump (2nd-R), U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman (3rd-R), U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin (C), U.S. Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan (3rd-L), White House Senior Advisor Jared Kushner (2nd-L) and Israeli officials pose for a photo upon arrival at the Ben Gurion International Airport, near Lod, Israel on May 13.

36/60 SLIDES © Ahmad Gharabli/AFP/Getty Images

An Israeli man is draped in the U.S. national flag at Damascus gate in Jerusalem on May 13 as Israeli nationalist settlers celebrate Jerusalem Day in the Old City.

37/60 SLIDES © Lior Mizrahi/Getty Images

Israeli workers prepare the ceremony stage inside the U.S. consulate that will act as the new U.S. embassy on May 13 in Jerusalem, Israel.

Motorcyclists from the Israeli Samson Riders motorcycle club prepare for a ride from the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv to the location of the new embassy in Jerusalem, on May 13.

Israeli police officers on horses patrol outside the U.S. consulate that will act as the new embassy on May 13 in Jerusalem, Israel.

A worker is seen inside the new embassy compound during preparations for its opening ceremony.

An Israeli motorcycle club leads a convoy of Harley Davidson riders in the streets of Jerusalem on May 13 as they ride from the current location of the American embassy in Tel Aviv towards the new location in Jerusalem.

Israeli police officers on horses patrol outside the U.S. consulate that will act as the new embassy in May 13 in Jerusalem, Israel.

Israeli workers prepare the ceremony stage inside the U.S. consulate that will act as the new embassy on May 13 in Jerusalem, Israel.

A woman holds a banner at Damascus gate in Jerusalem on May 13 as Israeli nationalist settlers celebrate Jerusalem Day in the Old City.

Demonstrators attend a protest in support of Palestinians and against the U.S. moving its embassy to Jerusalem, in Ankara, Turkey on May 13.

A man walks by the entrance to the new U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem on May 9, in Jerusalem, Israel.

A demonstration against the decision to move the American embassy in Israel to Jerusalem on May 12 in Rome, Italy.

Demonstrators protest in support of the Palestinian cause, on May 12 in Rome, to mark 70 years since the Palestinian "Nakba" of 1948. The demonstration is also in solidarity with the "Great Return March" protests in Gaza and to protest against the move of the U.S. Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

A woman carries a "Stand Up For Gaza" placard to a protest in support of the Palestinian cause opposite the entrance to the Israeli Embassy on Kensington High Street in London, England, on May 11. The demonstration, by the Palestinian Forum in Britain and Palestine Solidarity Campaign, was held to mark 70 years since the Palestinian "Nakba" of 1948, to show solidarity with the "Great Return March" protests in Gaza earlier this year, and to protest against the impending move of the U.S. Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

Women protestors hold placards reading "Al Quds belongs to muslims" on May 11, in Istanbul, during a demonstration against the Trump administration's controversial decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital with the opening of an embassy in the city.

Protesters wave Turkish and Palestinian flags during a demonstration in Istanbul on May 11.

Thousands of Muslims gathered and held a rally in the National Monument yard, near the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta on May 11.

Men pray in the Western Wall in Jerusalem's Old City on May 11 "to thank God" for the cancellation of the Iran nuclear deal and also for the decision to move the American embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

People pray in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem on May 8, in Jerusalem, Israel.

People walk through a section of the Old City in Jerusalem on May 8, in Jerusalem, Israel.

A poster celebrates U.S. President Donald Trump on the streets on May 9, in Jerusalem, Israel.

People walk near the compound of the U.S. consulate in Jerusalem, which will host the new U.S. Embassy.

In this photo released by the Jerusalem Municipality, Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat poses with a new road sign to the new U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem, Monday, May 7.

An American flag is designed out of flowers at the entrance to the new American embassy in Jerusalem on May 9, in Jerusalem, Israel.

New road signs indicating the way to the new U.S. embassy in Jerusalem are prepared to be set up on May 7.

60/60 SLIDES

Slideshow by photo services
Hamas has given its backing to the demonstrations, which have galvanized people around a call to protest the loss of Palestinian homes and villages when Israel was formed in 1948.
Palestinians mark that day – known as the “nakba” or “catastrophe” — on Tuesday, when more demonstrations are planned. More than two-thirds of Gaza’s population is descended from refugees who were displaced at the time of Israel’s creation.
At Gaza City’s main al-Shifaa hospital, medics said they were overwhelmed.
“I don't know how we will manage,” said Ayman al-Sahbani, the head of the emergency department, as families jostled to get in to see injured relatives. “How long can this go on? How long?"
The hospital had set up a new additional 30-bed triage area outside, and earlier in the day said it had the capacity to treat 200 or 300 serious gunshot wounds. It had received around 400 injured by around 6.pm., and most of those had been shot, he said.
“We’ve reached the critical point now,” he said. “A lot of people need operations soon, but the operation room is full.”
Increasing economic hardship has fuelled frustrations in Gaza, along with wider despair across Palestinian territories amid moves by a U.S. administration seen as wholeheartedly on Israel’s side of the decades-old conflict.
At the demonstrations east of Gaza, some said the force used by Israel would only bring further unrest.
Standing a few hundred meters from the fence, Nirma Attalah, 29, said her 22-year-old brother had been killed two weeks ago. "My brother was shot in the head in this place," she said. She had come on Monday with her whole extended family. “We are here for Jerusalem, for Palestinian land,” she said.
A truck rolled past carrying young men chanting: “To Jerusalem we go with millions of martyrs” and “Death rather than humiliation.”
“People have come out of the rubble to say we will not forget our rights,” said Yousef Abu Saleh, 25. “The American administration is adopting the Israeli story and stealing our right of return.”
While some said they would abide by official calls to keep the demonstrations peaceful, others talked about their enthusiasm to break into Israel and wreak havoc.
“We are excited to storm and get inside,” said 23-year-old Mohammed Mansoura. When asked what he would do inside Israel, he said, “Whatever is possible, to kill, throw stones.”
Palestinian demonstrators run from tear gas fired by Israeli troops during a protest against U.S. embassy move to Jerusalem and ahead of the 70th anniversary of Nakba, at the Israel-Gaza border east of Gaza City May 14, 2018.

© Mohammed Salem/REUTERS Palestinian demonstrators run from tear gas fired by Israeli troops during a protest against U.S. embassy move to Jerusalem and ahead of the 70th anniversary of Nakba, at the Israel-Gaza border east of Gaza City May 14, 2018. Two other young men carried large knives and said they wanted to kill Jews on the other side of the fence.
The Israeli military brought in two extra brigades to the Gaza border in preparation for the demonstrations and added additional “defense lines” in an effort to prevent any mass invasion into Israeli communities near the border.
The military said at least 35,000 people protested in 12 different places along the fence - more than twice as many locations as in past weeks of protest.
“Especially violent riots” took place near the southern Gazan city of Rafah,where three people were killed after trying to plant an explosive, the military added. The military also said it would “act forcefully against any terrorist activity,” and it carried out an airstrike on Hamas military posts in northern Gaza after Israeli troops came under fire.
At demonstrations near the Bureij Camp in central Gaza, Ahmed Loulou, 22, released a cluster of balloons carrying a Palestinian flag. In marker he’d written: “We are returning. This is our land.” The load was briefly caught in a power line before bobbing unsteadily towards the border.

But Israelis weren’t the only ones shooting. Near a parking area, a man pulled out an AK-47 and took aim at an Israeli drone dropping leaflets. He let off a stream of bullets into the air and brought it down. Later, more gunfire ensued as different Palestinian factions argued who would keep the downed drown, onlookers said.

As the death toll neared 50, loudspeakers called for protesters to leave the border area. Hamas leader Ismail Haniya was called to Cairo on Sunday night in an apparent attempt to persuade the militant group to quell the demonstrations. No agreement was made, said Hamas spokesman Taher al-Nounou, as he attended the protests. “They understood our points. Our people are showing their solidarity with Jerusalem today, and showing their anger with the U.S. administration.”

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