国际英语新闻:4 killed, dozens injured in clashes with Israeli soldiers in eastern Gaza

GAZA, May 3 (Xinhua) -- Four Palestinians were killed and 51 injured during clashes on Friday with the Israeli army forces in eastern Gaza Strip close to the border with Israel, medics and security sources said.

Ashraf al-Qedra, Gaza Health Ministry spokesman, told reporters that two demonstrators were shot dead and 51 injured by Israeli soldiers' gunfire during the weekly anti-Israel protests in eastern Gaza Strip, close to the border with Israel.

Al-Qedra added that another two Palestinians were killed in an Israeli warplanes airstrike on central Gaza Strip, east of al-Mughazi refugee camp, close to the border with Israel.

Friday's clashes broke out in the afternoon as part of the weekly rallies and protests, better known as the Great March of Return and Breaking the Israeli Siege, that have been going on since it broke out on March 30 last year.

The Highest Commission of the Great March of Return and Breaking the Israeli Siege had called on the populations to join the weekly protests against the U.S. decision of giving Israel sovereignty on the Syrian Golan Heights.

Gaza Health Ministry said that since the outbreak of the weekly protests last year, the Israeli army killed 275 demonstrators and wounded 17,000 others, who were officially referred to the hospitals in the Gaza Strip.

The Israeli Radio reported that thousands of Palestinians gathered close to the fence of the border between eastern Gaza Strip and Israel, waved Palestinian flags, released arson balloons, climbed on the fence of the border and threw stones and homemade grenades on the soldiers.

Meanwhile, security sources said that two Hamas militants were killed in an Israeli warplanes airstrike on a training military facility that belongs to the Islamic movement's armed wing.

The Israeli army airstrike on Hamas training facility came shortly after gunmen opened fire at Israeli army force stationed on the border in eastern Gaza Strip and wounded two soldiers, one of them was moderately injured.

An Israeli army spokesman said in a press statement that Hamas movement is held responsible for the shooting attack that came from eastern Gaza.

The armed wings of the Palestinian factions, including Islamic Hamas movement, threatened Israel that it will retaliate the killing of three Palestinians in the Gaza Strip earlier on Friday.

The Joint Chamber of Military Operations said in a short press statement that "due to the Zionist aggression on our people, the armed wings of the Palestinian factions are urged to promote the status of readiness to respond to the enemy's crimes."

On Thursday, two delegations representing Islamic Hamas movement and the Islamic Jihad headed to Egypt for talks in Cairo with senior Egyptian security intelligence officials on a possible calm with Israel in the Gaza Strip.

Khader Habib, a senior Islamic Jihad leader had earlier told Xinhua that the visit of the two delegations to Cairo aimed at discussing the recent developments in the Gaza Strip and the calm understandings with Israel.

The group's official accused Israel of not being committed to the understandings, mainly lifting an Israeli blockade that had been imposed on the Gaza Strip since 2007.

Egypt and the United Nations have been mediating for several months a calm understanding between the Palestinian factions in the Gaza Strip and Israel trying to ease the hard living situation in the coastal enclave.