Israeli forces injure 65 Palestinians at Nakba Day protest

The march was held to commemorate the 71^st anniversary of the Nakba, the forced displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from their land during the establishment of Israel.

Israeli forces fired tear gas, rubber bullets, and live ammunition at the demonstration.

The spokesman for the Gaza-based health ministry, Ashraf al-Qudra, said that the injured included 22 children and 5 women, as well as 3 medical staff who had been shot with rubber bullets after being targeted by Israeli forces.

Qudra added that one of the injured was in critical condition, while 15 had suffered medium wounds and 49 light wounds.

Sixteen protesters had been injured by live bullets while 14 had sustained injuries from rubber bullets.

One of the injured was a fisherman, Murad Hisi, who was shot by an Israeli naval vessel after taking part in a protest off the coast.

The Israeli army said that around 10,000 Palestinians had protested at the border.

They said that nine fires had started in Israeli towns on the Gaza border after incendiary balloons were launched from the besieged enclave.

The Israeli Fire Service said that seven of the fires had been put out and two were still blazing as of Wednesday evening.

Palestinians have been holding protests at the border since last year, demanding the right to return their ancestral homes in what is now Israel.

Around five million Palestinians are refugees today.

At least 293 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire in Gaza since the protests began in March 2018.

Last year, Israeli forces killed more than 60 Palestinians as they protested the controversial opening of the US embassy in disputed Jerusalem.