2 Gazans martyred by Israeli gunfire

By Hani al-Shaer

GAZA CITY, Palestine

Two Palestinians were martyred by Israeli gunfire on border of the Gaza Strip on Sunday, according to the Health Ministry.

Mohamed Khaled, 20, and Bahaa Abdel-Rahman, 23, were martyred when Israeli forces opened fire in Khan Younis city in the southern Gaza Strip, ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qidra said in a statement.

The Israeli army, for its part, said opened fire on three people trying to cross a security fence on border between Gaza and Israel.

According to an army spokesman, two of the three “infiltrators” had been killed.

Tension has been high across Gaza border amid Palestinian rallies demanding their return to their homes in historical Palestine from which they were driven out in 1948 to make way for the new state of Israel.

The rallies will culminate on May 15, which will mark the 70th anniversary of Israel's establishment -- an event Palestinians refer to as the "Nakba" or "The Catastrophe".

Since the rallies began on March 30, at least 47 Palestinian demonstrators have been killed and hundreds injured, according to health ministry figures.