Palestinians to scale back protests on Israel-Gaza border – reports

Palestinians in Gaza will scale back protests along the fortified border with Israel, factions in the strip said on Thursday. The statements are seen as a sign of a lasting detente between Israel and Gaza’s Islamist rulers Hamas along the frontier.

For nearly 20 months, Palestinians have held weekly demonstrations dubbed the “Great March of Return.” These have often turned violent as people throw rocks and firebombs at Israeli troops, who respond by shooting with live fire.

Gaza medical officials say 214 Palestinians have been killed since the Friday protests began in March 2018, Reuters reported. The protests have tapered off in recent months. Analysts attribute the decline to diplomatic efforts by Egypt, Qatar and the UN to fend off a wider escalation between Israel and Hamas.

The protesters have called for an end to a security blockade imposed on Gaza by Israel and Egypt, and for Palestinians to have the right to return to land from which their families fled or were forced to flee during Israel’s establishment in 1948.