Thirteen Palestinians injured in Gaza protest

At least 13 Palestinians have been injured by Israeli gunfire during a protest in the besieged Gaza Strip.

Medical sources said one of the injured was in critical condition after being shot in the head at a protest near the Israeli separation fence in the northeast of Gaza City on Friday.

An Israeli military spokeswoman claimed the forces opened live fire at the protesters after they threw stones at the soldiers. She also said that “hundreds of Palestinians” took part in the protest.

The Israeli military frequently targets Palestinians along the border with the besieged enclave.

Gaza has been blockaded since June 2007, a situation that has caused a decline in the standards of living, unprecedented levels of unemployment, and unrelenting poverty.

The apartheid regime of Israel denies about 1.7 million people in Gaza their basic rights, such as freedom of movement, jobs that pay proper wages, and adequate healthcare and education