Over two dozen Palestinians were injured, including two in serious condition, during riots along the border fence on Saturday night.
A 13-year-old boy was hit in the head east of Gaza City, another was hit in the neck with a rubber bullet. A woman and journalist were also injured.
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Snipers and rubber bullets were used by Israeli soldiers after some 100 Palestinians approached the fence and threw explosive devices towards troops. There were clashes in other locations, including near Khan Younis, where Palestinians threw stones at the fence and tried to climb it.
In one video shared online, a dozen Palestinian youth were seen trying to grab the weapon of an IDF soldier stationed along the border fence.
Palestinians were reported to have also launched incendiary balloons towards southern Israel during the riot
#صور| شبان يحاولون اجتياز السياج الفاصل شرق مدينة غزة وقوات الاحتلال تطلق قنابل الغاز والرصاص الحي تجاههم. pic.twitter.com/PIe95lfu3P— المركز الفلسطيني للإعلام (@PalinfoAr) August 21, 2021
In 1969 Denis Michal Rohan, a Christian Australian citizen, set fire to the pulpit of the al-Aqsa Mosque, destroying it. Rohan, who was in Israel on a tourist visa, was arrested two days later.
During the rally on Saturday Suhail al-Hindi, a member of Hamas Political Bureau said that the message of the rally was that the Gazans were “with al-Aqsa and the West Bank.”
”We will not forget our prisoners and our families, and we will not be patient with the siege of Gaza, which suffers from hunger and pain,” he was quoted by Wafa News as saying. “We are proceeding with all our strength and capabilities to lift the siege on the Palestinian people and we use the memory of the al-Aqsa fire and its meaning to achieve victory and liberate the homeland soon.”
Hamas spokesman Abd al-Latif al-Qanou said that those who took part in the protests “affirmed that our battle with the occupation is open. We have the power to defend al-Aqsa Mosque and break the siege of Gaza.”
al-Qadou added, “that the continuation of the siege cannot be accepted and will not accept the occupation’s sluggishness and procrastination.”
Following the 11-day fighting between Israel and Gaza in May, Israel has withheld the hundreds of millions of dollars provided by Qatar in aid to poor families in Gaza as well as salaries to Hamas clerks.
Hamas has threatened to reignite the violence on the border if the money was blocked and Israel on Thursday reached a deal for the funds to make it to the poor. But the agreement did not include the millions of dollars in salaries provided to the Hamas clerks.
Palestinians in Gaza used to stage weekly March of Return border protests, organized by Hamas, that often turned extremely violent to end the blockade of the coastal enclave.
The demonstrations, which began in 2018, saw thousands of Gazans participate every Friday at five locations along the perimeter fence. Other smaller protests were held during the week at the beach as well as during the night at various locations.
According to the UN, 214 Palestinians including 46 children were killed during the protests which lasted two years. Another 36,000 were injured.
Simcha Pasko contributed to this report.