Hundreds of Palestinians on Wednesday demonstrated near the Israeli border in the southern Gaza Strip, calling on Israel to ease a crippling blockade days after a similar gathering ended in deadly clashes with the Israeli army.
The Israeli military announced that it was beefing up troops along the border ahead of Wednesday's demonstration.
As demonstrators approached the border fence, the military fired tear gas to keep the crowd away. The gas could be seen wafting in the wind in a live broadcast of the demonstration on Hamas' Al-Aqsa TV.
During a demonstration Saturday, hundreds of participants stormed the fence, resulting in violent clashes. Over 40 Palestinians were wounded by Israeli fire. One of the wounded, Osama Dueji, died of his wounds Wednesday.
Hamas has organized the protests in an attempt to put pressure on Israel to ease its blockade of Gaza.
Israel and Egypt have maintained the blockade since Hamas, a militant group that opposes Israel's existence, took control of Gaza in 2007, a year after winning a Palestinian election. The blockade has devastated Gaza's economy and fueled an unemployment rate hovering around 50%. Israel says the blockade, which tightly restricts the movement of goods and people in and out of Gaza, is needed to prevent Hamas from building up its military capabilities.
Israel and Hamas have fought four wars and numerous skirmishes since 2007, most recently an 11-day battle in May that killed 260 Palestinians and 13 people in Israel.
Hamas accuses Israel of violating the cease-fire that ended the fighting by tightening the blockade. In particular, it has restricted the entry of materials needed for reconstruction. Israel has demanded the return of the remains of two soldiers killed in a 2014 war, as well as the return of two Israeli civilians believed to be in Hamas captivity.
Last week, Israel reached an agreement with Qatar to allow the Gulf country to resume aid payments to thousands of impoverished Gaza families.
Under the new system, the payments will be delivered by the United Nations directly to families that have been vetted by Israel. In the past, the aid was delivered as cash straight to Hamas.
The payments are expected to begin in the coming weeks, providing some relief in Gaza.
But tensions remain high. In addition to the demonstrations, Hamas has allowed its supporters to launch incendiary balloons across the border, setting off a number of wildfires in southern Israel. Israel has responded with a series of airstrikes on Hamas targets in Gaza.
Egypt, which serves as a mediator between Israel and Hamas, has been working to broker a longer-term truce between the bitter enemies.
This week, Egypt closed its border crossing with Gaza, the main exit point for the territory's people to travel abroad, in a show of frustration with Hamas.
