EU deny Israeli reports it will repair Kerem Shalom Gaza border crossing

Reports in Israeli media that the EU will fund the renovation of the Kerem Shalom Crossing into the besieged Gaza Strip - damaged during protests - have been denied by Brussels.

Israel's army claims Palestinian protesters burned down the crossing on 4 and 11 May, but this cannot be independently verified by The New Arab.

Israeli Ynet news outlet reported on 11 May that the EU announced that it had agreed to donate 30 million Euros ($35 million) to fix the damaged parts of the crossing, which transports material from Israel to the besieged enclave.

Mass protests erupted on 30 March - dubbed "the Great Return March" - which have centred on the right of Palestinian refugees to return to homes they lost during the 1948 creation of Israel.

The protests along the Gaza border quickly turned deadly when Israeli forces responded with live ammunition.

Thousands more protesters were wounded by gunfire or needed treatment for tear gas inhalation in the weeks of protests.

Israel has come under international pressure to moderate its approach, after the massacre of 62 Palestinians protesting against the transfer of the US embassy to Jerusalem on 14 May.

It was the deadliest day in the besieged territory since 2014 war.

Over 117 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces since protest dubbed "Great Return March" began on 30 March calling for their right of return.

The 14 May opening of the US embassy in the contested city of Jerusalem comes at a time when Palestinians are commemorating the Nakba, or "the Catastrophe".

Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were forced from their homes during the formation of Israel in 1948.