Israeli forces kill Palestinian in Gaza Strip protests

A Palestinian was killed during the weekly Friday protests near the fence separating the besieged Gaza Strip from Israel, the Gaza health ministry said.

Alaa Hamdan, 28, was shot in the chest by Israeli forces east of Jabalia, a town in northeastern Gaza, ministry spokesperson Ashraf al-Qidra said in a statement.

The Israeli army said in a statement that around 5,800 Palestinians were gathered in multiple locations along the separation fence on Friday.

Eleven Palestinians were also injured on Friday in the latest occurrence of the protest movement, which has been continuing for 77 consecutive weeks since 30 March 2018.

The protests, known as the Great March of Return, have been the largest to occur since the Second Palestinian Intifada in September 2000.

Palestinians in Gaza have been demanding an end to the crushing Israel-led 12-year blockade on the enclave and the implementation of refugees' right of return to the homes they and their relatives fled in 1948 during the establishment of Israel, known as the Nakba or the "catastrophe".

Since the beginning of the Great March of Return, at least 310 Palestinians have been shot dead by Israeli forces, the majority of which were during the protests.

Gaza is home to almost two million Palestinians, some 1.4 million of whom are registered refugees.