Deadly Gaza protests cloud Israel's US embassy opening in Jerusalem
Zeitoun, Gaza Strip: Israeli soldiers killed 28 Palestinians demonstrating along the border fence and wounded 918 in the bloodiest day of protests since they began six weeks ago, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
Thousands of Palestinians gathered on the edges of Gaza as the US embassy opened in Jerusalem, fanning out along the fence in what appeared to be some of the largest demonstrations yet.
An elderly Palestinian man falls on the ground after being shot by Israeli troops.
At a gathering point east of Gaza City, organisers urged demonstrators to burst through the fence, telling them Israeli soldiers were fleeing their positions, even as they were reinforcing them.
At the barrier, young men threw stones and tried to launch kites carrying flames in hopes of burning crops on the other side.
"People have come out of the rubble to say we will not forget our rights," said Yousef Abu Saleh, 25. "The American administration is adopting the Israeli story and stealing our right of return."
Israel dropped leaflets urging Palestinians to stay away from the fence.
"Save your lives and work on building your futures," it said.
Palestinians sling stones during clashes with Israeli troops.
Israeli soldiers used tear gas dropped from drones in an attempt to keep the expanding crowd back.
Israeli Defence Forces said at least 10,000 people had gathered by 1pm (8pm AEST) in 10 different places along the fence – twice as many as in past weeks of protest. The military said it would "act forcefully against any terrorist activity".
Demonstrations are planned across the Palestinian territories to protest against the US decision to shift its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and recognise the city as Israel's capital, seen as a major blow to the Palestinian cause.
But they are expected to be largest in Gaza, where six weeks of demonstrations dubbed the "March of Return" will reach a climax this week. Israeli snipers have already killed nearly 50 Palestinians in the unrest at the fence, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, and shot 2240 more.
Palestinian medics and protesters evacuate a wounded youth.
The embassy move has added extra friction to what was already a highly charged week. Scuffles broke out in Jerusalem's Old City on Sunday as Israelis celebrated the "reunification" of the city, an annexation not recognised internationally. The opening of the embassy on Monday is followed by Nakba Day on Tuesday – when Palestinians mark the anniversary of mass expulsions and flight that displaced an estimated 700,000 people when Israel was founded 70 years ago.
This year, organisers of demonstrations in Gaza and the West Bank are spreading them over two days to coincide with the embassy opening.
The result has been the incongruous juxtaposition of a star studded gala, including US first daughter Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner in Jerusalem, while Palestinian prepare for demonstrations not far away. As guests sipped wine in front of a stage with a backdrop of American and Israeli flags on Sunday, the mosques in Gaza were urging people to attend protests.
The Israeli military said it will deploy two additional brigades of soldiers on the edges of the barricaded strip, roughly doubling the number of forces. A second and third defence line of troops will be set up and reservists have been called in. An additional brigade will be deployed in the occupied West Bank.
A Palestinian woman walks past burning tires near the Israeli border.
In Jerusalem, protests are planned at the same time as the embassy opening, with one in an Arab neighbourhood just a few blocks away. More than 1000 police officers are working with the US embassy to co-ordinate security for Monday's event, a police spokesman said.
Hamas has thrown its weight behind the demonstrations in Gaza, which have deflected Palestinians' frustration with their leadership as residents of the blockaded 365-square-kilometre territory struggle to make ends meet.
More than 70 per cent of Palestinians living in Gaza are refugees or descendants of refugees from areas in Israel, and the demonstrations have rallied for their UN-endorsed right of return.
"Our people have the right to break the walls of this big prison," Hamas's leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, said in a briefing with foreign journalists on Sunday. "We went out to knock the wall of the prison and declare it clearly that we won't accept to die slowly."
Israeli forces withdrew from Gaza in 2005, though the United Nations still classifies it as occupied because of the level of control wielded by Israel, which restricts the movement of people and goods. Egypt has also only sporadically opened its border.
Israel says that Hamas is using the demonstrations as a cover to carry out attacks, pointing out that some of those killed are known militants.
The death toll at recent demonstrations has shrunk, with one Palestinian killed on Friday, and no deaths the previous week.
Hospitals in Gaza are preparing for bloodshed, setting up tents with extra beds outside.
On Saturday, protesters burned the main cargo terminal to Gaza, causing $US2.8 million ($3.7 million) in damage and further choking off supplies.
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