Hundreds attend funeral of Gazan child killed at border

Hundreds of family members and friends attended the funeral, with some calling for revenge.

"God burn those that burned my heart and killed my son," said his mother Umm Shadi, who has eight other children.

"What is my son guilty of? He is 12 years old," she added through tears.

Mohammed, a 12 year-old friend also from Jabalia refugee camp, said he was with Abdel Aal when he was hit.

"We were throwing stones at the fence," he told AFP, referring to the heavily-guarded Israeli border line.

The friend said Shadi had been hit by a tear gas grenade fired by Israeli soldiers and collapsed instantly.

He was among three Palestinians fatally wounded by Israeli fire on Friday. At least 179 Palestinians have been killed since the Great March of Return protests began.

One Israeli soldier has been shot dead by a sniper.

Palestinians have staged regular protests along the separation fence since 30 March, demanding the right to return to homes their families fled or were expelled from during the creation of Israel in 1948. 

They are also calling for an end to the decade-long Israel-Egypt blockade that the UN says will make Gaza "unlivable" by 2020. 

Meanwhile, Israel accuses the Gaza Strip's Islamist rulers of Hamas of orchestrating the protests and says it is merely protecting its border.

But critics say the blockade amounts to collective punishment of the impoverished coastal enclave's two million residents. 

Rights groups including the UN have also blasted Israel for its "wholly" disproportionate use of live ammunition against unarmed protesters along the border. 

Agencies contributed to this report.