*UPDATES DEATH TOLL
By Mohamed Majed and Mostafa Haboosh
GAZA CITY, Palestine (AA) – The number of Palestinians killed on Friday along the Gaza-Israel buffer zone has risen to five, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
In a statement, ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qidra identified the martyrs as Mohamed Khaled Abdel-Nabi, 27; Nassar Abu-Tayem, 22; Ahmed Abu Lebda, 22; Ayesh Shaeth, 23; and Jabr Abu Hemeisa, 25.
Al-Qidra added that 85 other Palestinians had been injured by Israeli army gunfire.
Earlier Friday, hundreds of Palestinians converged along the buffer zone as part of ongoing demonstrations against Israel’s decades-long occupation.
Since the rallies began on March 30, more than 200 Palestinians have been killed — and thousands more injured — by Israeli troops deployed near the buffer zone.
