Palestinians say 13-year-olds were killed by Israeli gunfire along a border fence

Two Palestinians, including a teenager, were killed and dozens were injured by Israeli gunfire on Friday, health officials in Gaza said at weekly rallies organized by the Islamist group that controls the territory.

The 13-year-old man was shot dead in the head and a 24-year-old man died of gunshot wounds in his leg and abdomen, said the Ministry of Health. Gaza health.

More than 130 injured were evacuated to hospitals for treatment with at least three in serious condition, the ministry said. About 90 others received first aid.

A nurse, Mutasem Khatib, said that the teenager was throwing stones "very close to the fence" before being shot.

"It was a critical injury from the beginning, which damaged a significant part of his head," Khatib said during a phone interview. "He died as soon as we arrived at the hospital."

The army said that thousands of Palestinians participated in the "extremely violent" protest. He said the troops thwarted many Palestinian attempts to cross the border and, in one incident, a grenade was thrown at the soldiers. He stated that he was investigating reports of the teenager's death.

Hamas, the group that runs Gaza and vowed to destroy Israel, led three months of protests that became violent. More than 125 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli gunfire since they started.

Israel says it is defending its border and neighboring communities and accuses Hamas of using the protests as a cover to try to break the fence and carry out attacks.

The rallies are aimed in part at drawing attention to the Israeli-Egyptian blockade imposed after Hamas seized Gaza in 2007.

On Friday afternoon, protesters flocked to five camps erected around 300 meters from the Israeli border. A few dozen ventured onto the fence and threw stones and incendiary bombs against Israeli forces.

Other Palestinians threw kites and balloons fired with incendiary materials into nearby Israeli communities to light fires.

Israel fought the great fires caused by fiery kites and incendiary fireballs fired from Gaza that destroyed forests, burned crops and killed wildlife and livestock.

Palestinians said they shot down an Israeli drone in central Gaza that fired tear gas at protesters. Videos of the episode have emerged showing dozens of teenagers gathering to pick up the drone and chanting "God is Great" in Arabic while others were shooting in the air with guns.

Fares Akram in Amman, Jordan, contributed to this report