Palestinians rally to mark Nakba

GAZA CITY - Palestinians protested Wednesday for the annual commemoration of what they call the Nakba, or catastrophe, when hundreds of thousands were expelled or fled during the 1948 war surrounding the creation of Israel.

Thousands gathered at various locations along the volatile border fence between Israel and the Gaza Strip, while crowds also demonstrated in the occupied West Bank.

Clashes erupted along parts of the border fence, with the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza reporting 47 people wounded, but the protests were smaller and calmer than anticipated.

AFP journalists on the border saw a number of kites being floated across the border and a fire breaking out inside Israeli territory.

Palestinians in Gaza have regularly used kites with firebombs attached to them to set fires on the Israeli side of the fence.

Israel's military said around 10,000 "rioters and demonstrators" were along the Gaza fence.

"The rioters are setting tyres on fire and hurling rocks," it said in a statement.

"A number of explosive devices have been hurled within the Gaza Strip as well, and a number of attempts have been made to approach the security fence."

It said "troops are responding with riot dispersal means."

In the West Bank city of Ramallah, protesters held up giant paper keys to symbolise their will to return to the lands and homes they were expelled from or were forced to abandon, now located inside Israel.

Palestinians commemorate the Nakba every year.

More than 700,000 Palestinians fled or were expelled from their land during the 1948 war surrounding the creation of Israel.

Separately, there have also been regular protests and clashes along the Gaza border for more than a year.

At least 293 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire in Gaza since the protests began in March 2018.

The majority died during the often-violent weekly protests, though others were killed in Israeli airstrikes or by tank fire in response to violence from Gaza.

Six Israelis have been killed in Gaza-related violence over the same time period.