On Friday, March 30^th, over a thousand Palestinians were injured and sixteen left dead at the hands of Israeli soldiers during a mass protest.

The ‘Great March of Return,’ as the demonstration was called, marked the 42^nd anniversary of ‘Land Day’, which memorialized events that happened March 30^th, 1976, when six unarmed Palestinian citizens of Israel were killed by the latter’s forces during the protest against its government to annex large sections of land owned by Palestinians. The ‘Great March of Returns’ main message was to fight for the ‘right of return’ for Palestinian refugees living in Gaza. Moreover, the protest is set to kick off a six-week sit-in demonstration that leads up to May 15^th, marking the 70^th year anniversary of ‘Nakba’, the ethnic cleansing of Palestine. Tents were set up along five different points, 700 meters away from the fence that blocks the Gaza Strip from Israel. The sit-in and the march was organized by multiple civil service organizations and backed by all political factions.

In anticipation for this event the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) increased security along the border wall, deploying 100 snipers along the barrier, using tear gas and rubber bullets to injure and kill many Palestinian demonstrator. Further aggravating the situation, prior to the march, a Gazan non-protester farmer was killed by IDF. According to them, they reacted because the man was “carrying out suspicious activity” near the border fence but Gaza Health ministry spokesman rebutted saying they were simply gathering their crops.

Palestinians are enraged by Israel’s use of power against them with President Mahmoud Abbas announcing that Saturday March 31^st would be a national day of mourning, adding that “Israel is fully responsible for all of the aggression in Gaza today, and fully responsible for the death(s),” encouraging the UN Security Council to ensure the “protection for our Palestinian people.” The UN Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs, Tayé-Brook Zerihoun, warned the Security Council that the situation “might deteriorate in the coming days,” stating the importance of not targeting civilians, especially children.

The violence from Friday’s rally left the largest death toll since the summer of 2014, the last Israel war against Gaza. Since then Gaza has endured a period of difficult economic conditions, including the Israel blockade that has left 80% of them dependent on humanitarian aid. Observers feel the blockade may be the last straw in ending the four-year truce between Hamas and Israel and the violence inflicted by the IDF during this demonstration, further aggravating the situation.