One young Palestinian was killed today, and dozens of people were injured in clashes between demonstrators and the Israeli army, during the celebration of Land Day in Israel, the Palestinian territories and neighboring countries.
Health official Adam Abu Salmiya said Israeli soldiers in Gaza shot and killed 21-year-old Mahmoud Zakut and seriously wounded another as they approached the Israel-Gaza border.
Land Day is held annually on March 30 to commemorate the deaths of six Arab-Israeli protesters who were killed by Israeli security forces during mass demonstrations in 1976 against plans to seize Arab territory and the Galilee.
The Israeli military said soldiers fired warning shots before firing directly at Zakut, and that they fired tear gas at the protesters.
Abu Salmiya said that 37 protesters were slightly injured across Gaza, while the Israeli army claimed 29 were wounded.
Dozens of Palestinians were seen in hospitals in the West Bank and Jerusalem with minor injuries, including head injuries from rubber bullets, said Mohammed Ayad, spokesman for the Red Crescent Health Service in Ramallah.
Minor clashes between protesters and security forces broke out in the Jerusalem area, when Palestinians began throwing stones, to which soldiers responded with tear gas, stun grenades and rubber bullets.
About 2.000 Arab Israelis protested in the north of Israel, where a large number of members of the Arab minority live, while dozens of Palestinians living in Jerusalem gathered in front of the Old City.
Several thousand Lebanese and Palestinians gathered near the Beaufort Fort in southern Lebanon, about 15 kilometers from Israel, but Lebanese security forces prevented them from getting closer to the border.
Several thousand people also gathered in Jordan, a few kilometers from the border with the West Bank, shouting "Death to Israel".
The army deployed thousands of security forces in gear to break up demonstrations along the border between Israel and the Palestinian territories and closed access to the West Bank to prevent a possible outbreak of violence.
Land Day is held annually on March 30 to commemorate the deaths of six Arab-Israeli protesters who were killed by Israeli security forces during mass demonstrations in 1976 against plans to seize Arab territory and the Galilee.
Last year, protesters from Lebanon and Syria tried to cross the border into Israel, sparking clashes with the Israeli army that left at least 38 dead.
Hamas security services clashed with protesters who were trying to reach the Israeli border, but were not allowed to do so. 37 people were wounded in the conflict, reports Reuters.
The army also monitors the borders more closely.
About 20.000 Protestants reportedly gathered on the Israeli-Jordanian border.
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