Israel 'prepared to open fire' on new Gaza protests, defence minister says

Israeli forces are prepared to open fire on demonstrators in the Gaza Strip on Friday, Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman has said, with open-fire rules to remain unchanged for the upcoming mass protests.

Last week, Israeli soldiers opened fire on a protest by tens of thousands of unarmed Palestinians on the Gaza border, killing at least 17 people.

"If there are provocations, there will be a reaction of the harshest kind like last week," Lieberman said on Thursday.

"We do not intend to change the rules of engagement," the minister told public radio.

The Great Return March protests began last week and included cultural events such as traditional Palestinian dabka dancing for the thousands of families, women and children attending.

The march is specifically important to 1.3 million of the besieged enclave's population because they are families of refugees who fled to Gaza during the mass expulsion of Palestinians during Israel's establishment in 1948.

Israel's violent response drew widespread condemnation and calls for an independent investigation from the European Union and United Nations chief Antonio Guterres.

	— B'Tselem בצלם بتسيلم (@btselem) April 4, 2018

Israel has rejected the calls, saying its soldiers opened fire when necessary to prevent attacks, attempts to damage the fence and infiltrations.

Palestinians say protesters were fired on while posing no threat to soldiers.

Human Rights Watch said Israel's deadly response to the mass demonstrations was "unlawful and calculated", with senior Israeli officials green-lighting the use of live ammunition against unarmed demonstrators.

Israeli human rights group B'Tselem has called on Israeli soldiers to refuse orders to open fire on Palestinian protesters in the Gaza Strip.