Over 20 Palestinians have been injured by Israeli occupation forces on the seashore in the northern Gaza Strip when clashes broke out during a demonstration against Tel Aviv’s decade-long maritime blockade on the coastal enclave.
On Monday, Israeli forces fired tear gas and live ammunition at the crowd during the protest which was held in support of a new flotilla titled ‘Freedom Ship 15’ that set sail from the port of Gaza in an attempt to break the Israeli siege .
Nearly 40 fishing boats reportedly joined the flotilla, which was organized by Gaza’s National Committee for Breaking the Siege. The flotilla sailed to the northern coastal border of the Gaza Strip, but was reportedly forced to return to shore by Israeli forces.
Palestinian aid workers carry away a protester wounded in clashes with Israeli military forces in Gaza, November 5, 2018, in this
Tensions have been running high near the fence separating the besieged Gaza Strip from the occupied territories since March 30, which marked the start of a series of protests dubbed “The Great March of Return.” Palestinian protesters demand the right to return for those driven out of their homeland.
Organizers of Monday’s protest rally said “the march of return will not stop until the fulfillment of all its goals, first and foremost the lifting of the siege completely from the Gaza Strip and end the suffering of two million besieged Palestinians.”
