At least five Palestinians were martyred and 25 others wounded in an explosion next to the separation fence along the frontier between Gaza and the occupied territories, according to the Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip.
The cause of the blast was not immediately known.
Wednesday’s explosion took place during a demonstration along the fence marking the anniversary of Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip in 2005. The event on Gaza’s eastern border was organized by Hamas Palestinian resistance group.
The demonstrators said Israeli soldiers fired tear gas before the deadly blast.
Witnesses told local media that when a Palestinian Explosives Engineering Unit was trying to defuse an explosive device, Israeli occupation forces opened fire, preventing them from escaping the blast.
The Israeli army, which has carried out several spells of deadly bombing on the besieged enclave, released an aerial video showing a blast along the fence. Debris flew into the air, and several people could be seen running away.
The enclave of two million people has remained under Israeli land, sea and air blockade with tight control over the movement of people and goods.
Source: Agencies
