One Palestinian killed, scores injured by Israeli fire on Gaza border

One Palestinian was killed and at least 41 wounded by Israeli sniper fire in renewed protests along the besieged Gaza strip's border with Israel on Friday.

The day marked the 50th week of often-deadly demonstrations, the enclave's health ministry said, with four medics were among those injured.

Around 8,400 demonstrators gathered in multiple locations along the fence separating Gaza from Israel, an Israeli army spokesman said, referring to some of the demonstrators as "rioters".

"They have hurled explosive devices and rocks at the security fence and soldiers, and have also ignited tyres," the spokesman said.

Protests began along the Gaza border on 30 March last year in the run up to the 70th anniversary of the Nakba, or catastrophe, the name Palestinians give to the foundation of the Israeli state in 1948 and concurrent ethnic cleansing of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians.

Demonstrators under the banner of the "Great Return March" have been calling for Palestinian refugees to be allowed to return to their former homes, which are now inside Israel, which Israeli officials say is tantamount to a call for the destruction of the Jewish state.

Israel has accused Hamas, which controls the political authority of the Gaza strip, of using the protests as cover for infiltrations and attacks, while rights groups and Palestinians say protesters posing little threat have been shot by Israeli snipers.

A Palestinian teenager was shot dead by Israeli fire on Thursday.

Israel has committed "crimes against humanity" in its response to the protests, the UN said in February.

Israel and Hamas have fought three wars since 2008.

At least 252 Palestinians have been killed by Israel since March 2018, the majority shot during the weekly border protests and others hit by tank fire or air strikes in response to violence from Hamas and other armed groups in Gaza.

Two Israeli soldiers have been killed over the same period.