38 Palestinians protesting in Gaza as US moves embassy to Jerusalem killed

At least 38 Palestinians were killed on Monday in Gaza and more than 1,700 others wounded as the Israeli army fired live ammunition, teargas and firebombs at protesters assembled along several points near the fence with Israel as US moves its embassy to Jerusalem, reports Aljazeera.

The demonstrations are part of a weeks-long protest calling for the right of return for Palestinian refugees to the areas they were forcibly expelled from in 1948. 

Since the protests began on March 30, Israeli forces have killed at least 86 Palestinians in the coastal enclave and wounded more than 9,400. 

The protest comes ahead of the annual commemorations of the Nakba, or "catastrophe", when the state of Israel was established on May 15, 1948, in a violent campaign that led to the expulsion of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from their villages.

About 70 percent of the Gaza Strip's population of two million are descendants of refugees. 

Demonstrations were also planned to coincide with the moving of the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, in line with the US' recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel in December, furthering stoking tensions and angering Palestinians.  

Since Monday morning, Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip have been attempting to cross the highly fortified fence separating the enclave from Israel, as part of the Great March of Return movement.

Of the 38 killed on Monday, the ministry of health said at least five were below the age of 18, including one female. And, of the 1703 wounded, at least 122 were below the age of 18, 44 were women and 11 were journalists. 

Some 772 were wounded by Israeli live ammunition, while 737 were wounded by tear gas attacks, the ministry said.  

Source: Al Jazeera.