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Shelling kills Palestinian in Gaza as border protest starts Palestinians mass in thousands for protest at Gaza-Israel border
(35 minutes later)
A Palestinian farmer has been killed by Israeli tank fire in Gaza, Palestinian officials say, hours before a major protest by Palestinians along the border was due to start. Palestinians in Gaza have marched in their thousands to the Israel border at the start of a six-week-long protest.
The strike happened near the town of Khan Yunis, in southern Gaza. Palestinian officials say a number have been wounded by Israeli gunfire, after earlier reporting the death of a farmer due to tank fire.
The Israeli military said a tank had fired at two suspects after suspicious activity near a security fence. The Israeli military has warned protesters not to try to breach the security fences.
Palestinians have pitched tents on the border for a six-week protest dubbed the Great March of Return. Palestinians have pitched five camps near the border for the protest, dubbed the Great March of Return.
Palestinian sources say several Palestinians have now also been wounded by Israeli military fire near Jabaliya in northern Gaza and near Rafah in the south. What is the latest at the border?
The Israeli military oversees a no-go zone along the Gaza border, citing security concerns. It has warned Palestinians not to approach security fences. Palestinian media are reporting about 7,000 people are protesting along the border.
Tent camps Palestinian sources say five people have been wounded by gunfire from the Israeli military, three near Jabaliya in northern Gaza and two near Rafah in the south. Tear gas has also been fired.
Hamas, the militant group which dominates the Gaza Strip, has accused Israel of trying to intimidate Palestinians by killing the farmer and by urging them not to participate in the protests. Other reports put the number of wounded as high as 50.
The Israeli foreign ministry has said the protest is a "deliberate attempt to provoke a confrontation with Israel" and that "responsibility for any clashes lies solely with Hamas and other participating Palestinian organisations". Before the protest started, Palestinian officials said Israeli tank fire had killed 27-year-old farmer Omar Samour and injured a second man near Khan Yunis in the south.
Palestinian health officials named the dead man as 27-year-old Omar Samour and said a second man had been injured in the incident. Witnesses say the two men were collecting parsley in a field, BBC Gaza producer Rushdi Abualouf reports.
Witnesses say the two men were hit by tank fire while collecting parsley in a field, BBC Gaza producer Rushdi Abualouf reports. Hamas, the militant group that dominates the Gaza Strip, has accused Israel of trying to intimidate Palestinians by killing the farmer and by urging them not to participate in the protests.
Addressing protesters, Hamas leader in Gaza, Ismail Haniyeh, said "we will not concede a single inch of the land of Palestine".
What have the Israelis said?
The Israeli military oversees a no-go zone along the Gaza border, citing security concerns, and has doubled its troop presence for the protest.
It fears the protest could be an attempt at a mass breach of the border.
The military said that a tank had fired at two suspects after suspicious activity near a security fence near Khan Yunis and that it was aware of the reports of the death.
The Israel Defense Forces later said troops were "firing towards the main instigators" to break up rioting.
The Israeli foreign ministry has said the protest was a "deliberate attempt to provoke a confrontation with Israel" and that "responsibility for any clashes lies solely with Hamas and other participating Palestinian organisations".
Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman took the unusual step of tweeting in Arabic, accusing Hamas of playing with citizens' lives and warning people not to take part.
What is the protest about?
Palestinians have erected five main camp areas along the Israel border for the protest, from Beit Hanoun in the north to Rafah near the Egyptian border.Palestinians have erected five main camp areas along the Israel border for the protest, from Beit Hanoun in the north to Rafah near the Egyptian border.
The Great March of Return protests are starting on Friday, as 30 March marks Land Day, which commemorates the killing of six protesters by Israeli security forces during demonstrations over land confiscation in 1976. The Great March of Return protests were starting on Friday, as 30 March marks Land Day, which commemorates the killing of six protesters by Israeli security forces during demonstrations over land confiscation in 1976.
The protest is scheduled to end on 15 May, which Palestinians call Nakba (catastrophe) and which marks the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians during the conflict surrounding the creation of Israel in 1948.The protest is scheduled to end on 15 May, which Palestinians call Nakba (catastrophe) and which marks the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians during the conflict surrounding the creation of Israel in 1948.
Rising tensions Palestinians have long demanded their right to return but Israel says they should settle in a future Palestinian state in Gaza and the West Bank.
By Sebastian Usher, Middle East editor, BBC World Service
Tents have been pitched by Palestinians in five locations on the edge of the buffer zone near the border. It is a sign that the protest, which has been dubbed the Great March of Return, is in it for the long haul.
Palestinian organisers - Hamas foremost among them - have urged tens of thousands of people to take part in the first protest.
Israel is wary, as tensions have once again been rising along the border with Gaza. The military has deployed more than 100 sharpshooters, while the foreign ministry has made clear it does not believe that Hamas intends the protest to remain peaceful.
All of this is happening in the shadow of the upcoming inauguration of the new US embassy in Jerusalem, which is set to happen in May - a development that may well help fuel the protest.