Thousands return to protest in Gaza Strip

GAZA - Israeli soldiers shot and wounded 77 Palestinians during protests near the fence that separates the Gaza Strip on Friday, the enclave's Health Ministry said.

An Israeli military spokeswoman said about 10,000 demonstrators massed at the fence and that some threw burning tyres, grenades and explosive devices at the troops on the other side. About 30 Palestinians suffered tear gas inhalation, the Gaza Health Ministry said.

But the protest was relatively small - some of the previous gatherings included about 30,000 people, a sign that tensions that have built up in the past few days may be easing.

On Thursday Israel had ramped up armoured forces along the Gaza fence, a day after a rocket fired from the enclave destroyed a home in southern Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, vowed "very strong action" if rocket fire continued.

A Palestinian official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Egyptian security officials had held separate meetings in the past few days with Israeli counterparts and with leaders of the Palestinian Islamist Hamas group that rules Gaza in an effort to prevent an escalation in violence.

Palestinians have been protesting along the fence since March 30, demanding an end to Israel's blockade of the territory and the right to return to lands that Palestinians were displaced from, by Jewish immigrants from Europe, upon Israel's founding in 1948.

About 200 Gazans have been killed by Israeli troops since the protests started, according to Palestinian Health Ministry figures. Palestinians have launched incendiary balloons and kites into Israel and on occasion breached the Israeli frontier fence.

More than 2 million Palestinians are packed into the narrow coastal enclave. Israel pulled troops and settlers from Gaza in 2005 but maintains tight control of its land and sea borders. Egypt also restricts movement in and out of Gaza on its border. Israel and Hamas have fought three wars in the past decade.