50 Palestinians injured by live bullets in Gaza

Israeli soldiers injured 50 Palestinians with live bullets on the 22nd Friday of anti-occupation rallies that have been ongoing since March 30.

In a statement, Gaza’s Health Ministry said the Palestinians were injured at the eastern Gaza border.

It did not disclose information about the condition of the injured. It added that 139 Palestinians were also affected by tear gas.

Protesters demand the “right of return” to their homes and villages in historical Palestine from which they were driven in 1948 to make way for the new state of Israel.

They also demand an end to Israel’s 11-year blockade of the Gaza Strip, which has gutted the coastal enclave’s economy and deprived its 2 million inhabitants of basic commodities.

Since the Gaza rallies began on Mar. 30, more than 170 Palestinian protesters have been martyred -- and thousands more injured -- by Israeli army troops deployed along the other side of the buffer zone.