Second Palestinian Protest at Gaza Border; Israel Emphasizes Firm Response to Border Disruptions

On Friday, April 6, Palestinians in Gaza protested for the second consecutive week along 65 kilometers of the border with Israel. This protest, named "Burning Tires Friday," is part of the "Million-Strong Return March" and began amid rising casualties among Palestinians in the past week. Concurrently, thousands of Israeli soldiers have been deployed in the area, receiving orders from the government and military commanders to respond decisively to border violence. Since last Friday, coinciding with "Land Day," Palestinians have initiated a new wave of protests under the banner of the "Million-Strong Return March," stating that they will continue until "Yom al-Nakba" ("Day of Catastrophe," which describes the anniversary of Israel's establishment) on May 14. Hamas and other Palestinian organizations active in Gaza, which support this six-week protest, claim that the international community must pressure Israel to uphold the "right of return" for Palestinians, based on UN Security Council Resolution 194; Israel has staunchly opposed negotiations regarding the "right of return" throughout its seventy years of existence. The second Friday of the "Million-Strong Return March" commenced with a total of 22 Palestinian deaths and over 1,700 injuries reported in the past week. Last Friday alone, 17 Palestinians were killed and more than 1,400 were injured; in the days following, four more Palestinians were killed in Gaza, and one was killed in the West Bank. Gaza hospital sources reported on the morning of April 6 that the twenty-first death in Gaza in the past week was one of the injured from the previous week who succumbed to their injuries. In the past week, dozens of large aid tents set up by Hamas along the borders provided basic services to Palestinian protesters to keep the flames of protest alive. The Palestinian Red Crescent also erected more tents this Friday to treat potential injuries near the borders. According to reports, while the number of Palestinian participants in the early hours of this Friday's protest appeared to be less than the previous Friday, thousands were engaged in burning old tires along the borders; many held mirrors to disrupt the line of sight of Israeli snipers. Five border points and another focal point in downtown Gaza were the six main protest sites this Friday. Political and military leaders of Hamas occasionally joined the protesters to encourage them; Ismail Haniyeh, Yahya Sinwar, Mahmoud al-Zahar, and Tawfiq Abu Naim, senior political and field officials of Hamas, held Friday prayers among supporters of this protest action. Israeli soldiers, utilizing drones that drop smoke bombs among the crowd, as well as snipers, are attempting to prevent protesters from approaching the border barriers. As Palestinians have named this day "Burning Tires Friday," Israel has also deployed hundreds of firefighters in the area. Concurrently, the West Bank also witnessed increased clashes between Palestinians and Israeli forces at contact points this Friday; Mahmoud Abbas, President of the Palestinian Authority, has requested through his representative at the United Nations that the Security Council investigate Israel's policy, which he describes as "shooting to kill." The Security Council meeting last week did not issue a statement. However, Israel claims that its soldiers have killed "terrorists" and those involved in "severe provocations" in recent days and will continue this policy. A senior Israeli commander stated that if border violence continues, Israel will resume pursuing Hamas activists in other areas. According to Israeli media, Avigdor Lieberman, the Minister of Defense, and Gadi Eisenkot, the Commander of the Israeli Army, assessed the outlook for the coming days in a joint meeting on Thursday and emphasized that soldiers would firmly confront any disruptions at the Gaza-Israel borders. The Israeli Defense Minister rejected the UN Secretary-General's request for an independent investigation into the events of last week's bloody Friday; Mr. Lieberman responded to Antonio Guterres and Federica Mogherini, the EU's foreign policy chief, saying, "The soldiers did what was expected of them." The U.S. State Department, ahead of the second Friday of Palestinian protests, urged them to stay away from the borders. The State Department's statement accused protest leaders of violence and exploiting civilians. The new wave of violence in Israeli-Palestinian relations continues as Iran has once again supported Hamas; the office of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of Iran, published the response of the Iranian leader to a letter sent to him by Ismail Haniyeh, the head of Hamas's political bureau, some time ago; the Iranian leader wrote that Iran considers itself "obligated" to support Hamas and "resistance." Ayatollah Khamenei also implicitly but clearly criticized Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, emphasizing that moving towards negotiations with Israel is a "grave unforgivable mistake that sets back the victory of the Palestinian people." In recent interviews with American publications Atlantic and Time, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman openly spoke for the first time about the "right" of Israelis to live in their "lands" and the "many benefits of peace with Israel for the region," as well as the "shared interests" of Israel and Saudi Arabia against Iran. While Israeli officials did not respond significantly to bin Salman’s remarks regarding the "right" of Israelis to live in their "lands," some Palestinian groups condemned his statements. In this context, the number of Palestinian deaths in recent protests reached 19. Israel states that its methods in response to protests at the Gaza border will not change. The Israeli army warns of expanding attacks against the Gaza Strip. The UN Secretary-General calls for an independent investigation into the Gaza incident. Many casualties and injuries were reported during the Palestinian protest march. Israeli officials issued warnings ahead of the "Return March" of Palestinians.