GAZA CITY — A Palestinian teenager was killed on Friday by Israeli fire during clashes along the Gaza border, the Hamas-run health ministry in the enclave said.

Yussef Al-Daya, 14, was hit in the chest to the east of Gaza City, ministry spokesman Ashraf Al-Qudra said.

Around 30 other Palestinians were wounded by Israeli fire in rallies along the frontier, he added.

The Israeli army said around 8,000 Palestinians demonstrated at various points along the border, without commenting on the teenager’s death.

The protesters set tires ablaze and threw grenades, incendiary devices and stones toward Israeli soldiers, an army spokesperson said.

Israeli forces “responded with anti-riot means and shot according to the operational procedures,” they said.

At least 251 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire since March 2018, the majority shot during weekly border protests and others hit by tank fire or air strikes.

Two Israeli soldiers have been killed over the same period.

Israeli has fought three wars with Gaza’s Islamist rulers Hamas since 2008 and the enclave has been under a crippling blockade for more than a decade. — AFP