Israeli army injures 77 Palestinians in Gaza Strip

The Palestinian Health Ministry announced that 77 Palestinians were injured on Friday evening as a result of the Israeli army assault on the weekly marches in the eastern Gaza Strip.

The ministry said in a statement that 31 of the wounded were hit by live bullets.

Since the Gaza rallies began in March last year, more than 320 protesters have been killed -- and thousands more wounded -- by Israeli troops deployed near the buffer zone.

Demonstrators demand an end to Israel's 12-year blockade of the Gaza Strip, which has shattered the coastal enclave's economy and deprived its two million inhabitants of many basic amenities.