Israel deploys sharpshooters on Gaza border for Palestinian protests

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The Israeli military said on Wednesday it has deployed more than 100 sharpshooters on the Gaza border ahead of a planned mass Palestinian demonstration.

Organizers said they expect thousands in Gaza, including entire families, to answer their call to gather in tent cities in five locations along the sensitive border from Friday in a six-week protest for a right of return of Palestinian refugees to what is now Israel.

Palestinians attend a marathon near the border with Israel, in the southern Gaza Strip, March 26, 2018. /VCG Photo

Citing security concerns, the Israeli military enforces a "no go" zone for Palestinians on land in Gaza adjacent to Israel's border fence.

Lieutenant-General Gadi Eizenkot, the military's chief of staff said that the military would not allow "mass infiltration" or tolerate damage to the barrier during the protests.

"If lives are in jeopardy, there is permission to open fire," Eizenkot said.

Israeli soldiers are confronted by frequent violent Palestinian protests along the Gaza border and have used tear gas, rubber bullets and live ammunition against demonstrators who the military said hurled rocks or petrol bombs at them.

Israeli heavy equipment destroys houses in Jewish settlement of Morag near Rafah refugee camp, southern Gaza Strip, Aug. 23, 2005. /Reuters Photo

Organizers said the protest is supported by several Palestinian factions, including Gaza’s dominant Islamist Hamas movement.

The UN special coordinator for the Middle East peace process, Nickolay Mladenov, called on all sides "to exercise restraint and take the necessary steps to avoid a violent escalation."

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Source(s): Reuters