GAZA — Thousands of Palestinians rallied at the Gaza-Israel border on Saturday to mark the first anniversary of a surge of protests, facing off against Israeli forces massed across the frontier.

Palestinian activists clad in bright orange vests tried to keep people back, though some made it to the fence.

Gaza medics said that one Palestinian man was killed by Israeli fire before dawn on Saturday near the boundary.

Confrontations have mounted this week ahead of the commemoration of the 'Great March of Return' protests, which began on March 30, 2018.

The protests call for the lifting of a security blockade imposed by Israel and Egypt, and for Palestinians to have the right to return to land from which their families fled or were forced to flee during Israel’s founding in 1948. Israel rejects that demand saying that would eliminate its Jewish majority.

March 30 also marks "Land Day", an annual commemoration of the deaths of six Arab citizens of Israel killed by Israeli security forces during demonstrations over government land confiscations in northern Israel in 1976.

Loudspeakers on the Gaza side of the border blasted national songs and medical field units were set up in case of injuries as Gazans flowed to the various protest sites under heavy rain.

About 200 Gazans have been killed by Israeli troops since the protests started, according to Palestinian Health Ministry figures, and an Israeli soldier was killed by a Palestinian sniper.

Israel's use of lethal force has drawn censure from the United Nations and rights groups. UN investigators said last week that Israeli forces may be guilty of war crimes for using excessive force. — Reuters