Palestinian shot dead by Israeli army near Gaza border: Ministry

Mohamed Abu Sadek, 21,was shot in the head by Israeli military during a protest near the Gaza border.

Gaza protests
The victim was one of the people who gathered near the Gaza border as part of the Great March of Return [Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/Reuters]

Israeli soldiers have shot dead a Palestinian man during a protest near the Gaza border, the Palestinian Ministry of Health said.

Mohamed Abu Sadek, 21, was shot in the head by the Israeli military on Monday and died in hospital.

Abu Sadek was one of thousands of people who gathered near the border as part of the Great March of Return protests.

At least 90 people were injured in the protests, 10 of them by live rounds fired by Israeli troops, the ministry said.

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According to an Israeli military spokesperson, the soldiers opened fire after protesters threw rocks, burned tires and explosive devices.

The Palestinian protests began on March 30 for the commemoration of Land Day when, in 1976, six Palestinian citizens of Israel were killed by Israeli forces after protesting the confiscation of their land.

Since the start of these protests, Israeli forces have killed at least 174 Palestinians in the besieged coastal enclave and wounded more than 18,000, according to health officials in Gaza.

One Israeli soldier was shot dead by a Palestinian sniper.

The protests call for Palestinians to be able to return to the land they or their families fled or were expelled from in 1948 to clear the way for the establishment of the state of Israel.

Source: Al Jazeera