Israel will continue to target ‘terror organizations’ following deadly Gaza clashes

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan 24) – A military spokesperson on Saturday said Israel would continue to crack down on “terror organizations” in Gaza following clashes on Friday between Israeli authorities and Palestinian protestors.

Health officials said at least 15 Palestinians were killed and over 750 wounded after Israeli military officials opened fire on thousands of demonstrators in Gaza along the territory’s border with Israel.

Brigadier General Ronen Manelis, the chief Israeli army spokesperson, rejected reports that authorities used excessive force against protestors and said those who were killed were “involved in violence and belonged to militant factions.”

Manelis, quoted by the Associated Press, accused health officials in Gaza of fabricating the number of casualties, claiming only a “several dozen at most were injured by live fire while the rest were merely shaken up by tear gas and other riot dispersal means.”

Friday’s protests, which were led by Gaza’s ruling Hamas group, marked the start of a six-week-long campaign against the Israeli government.

On Saturday, Hamas announced that four of the dead on the Gaza Health Ministry’s list were members of their military wing. The armed group have controlled Gaza since 2007 and do not recognize the Israeli state.

Manelis stressed that Israel would “not allow a massive breach of the fence into Israeli territory.”

“We will not be able to continue limiting our activity to the fence area and will act against these terror organizations in other places too,” he added.

A spokesperson for Gaza City’s Shifa Hospital, meanwhile, said 284 injured people were admitted to the facility on Friday, “the majority with bullet wounds.”

“These are all from live bullets that broke limbs or caused deep, open wounds with damage to nerves and veins,” AP quoted spokesperson Ayman Sahbani as saying.