ISRAELI FORCES OPEN FIRE AT GAZA MARCH

Gaza, 20 Rabi’ul Akhir 1436/10 February 2015 (MINA) –  Israeli forces opened fire on a march east of Gaza City on Monday to protest delays to the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip following Israel’s devastating military offensive last summer.

Dozens of demonstrators took part in the march, which was organized by a national committee to end the eight-year blockade of the coastal territory, Ma’an News Agency quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) as reporting.

Protesters burned tires and waved Palestinian flags.

No injuries were reported.

Last month, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, the largest service provider in the Gaza Strip, announced that it was forced to stop a cash assistance program for tens of thousands of Palestinians to make repairs to damaged and destroyed homes due to a lack of donor funding.

Over 96,000 homes were damaged or destroyed during Israel’s assault on the Gaza Strip, which also killed over 2,000 people, the majority of whom were civilians.

The blockade on Gaza was imposed following the victory of Hamas in the 2006 Palestinian elections and the subsequent 2007 clashes between Fatah and Hamas, which left Hamas in control of the Strip and Fatah in control of parts of the occupied West Bank. (T/P010/P3)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)