*GAZA: Three Palestinians were martyred when they tried to pass into Israelfrom the Gaza Strip on Sunday, the Israeli army said, the latest shootingslinked to tensions along the border.*
The army said four people “attempted to infiltrate”.
“Troops arrived at the scene and fired shots towards the citizens, as aresult of which three were killed,” an army statement said.
It added that a bag was found with cutters, an axe and other materials.
Gaza’s health ministry identified two of the dead as Bahaa Rahman Qudeih,23, and Mohammed Abu Rayda, 20. A name had not yet been provided for thethird person.
The latest deaths raised to 52 the toll of Palestinians killed by Israeliforces since along the Gaza border on March 30.
Hundreds more have been wounded by gunfire.
Demonstrators are demanding Palestinian refugees be allowed to return tothe homes they fled or were expelled from during the 1948 war surroundingIsrael’s creation.
Israel argues allowing the so-called right of return would effectivelyspell the end of the country as a Jewish state.
No Israelis have been hurt in the weeks of protests and the military hasfaced international criticism for its use of live ammunition.
It says it only opens fire when necessary to stop infiltrations, attacksand attempts to damage the fence.
It accuses Hamas, the indigenous movement that runs the Gaza Strip and withwhom it has fought three wars since 2008, of seeking to use the protests ascover to carry out violence.
Overnight Israel struck a facility belonging to Hamas in reaction tokite-borne fire bombings, which have reportedly caused significant damageto Israeli fields. – APP/AFP