GAZA, April 6 (Xinhua) -- Islamic Hamas movement leadership stressed Friday that the current rallies and marches in Gaza must go on until it achieves its goals.
Head of Hamas in Gaza Yehya Sinwar told demonstrators in eastern Khan Younis in southern Gaza Strip that the Great March of Return is "national" and that the Palestinians should carry on with it and protect it as much as possible.
He went on saying that "Gaza will not starve and we won't abandon our national goal."
"We are all here to tell the world that Gaza is free," said the Hamas leader. "We will carry on in the coming days and will surprise our people who are waiting for our advancement."
On Friday, Ashraf al-Qedra, spokesman of the Health Ministry in Gaza told reporters that a Palestinian had died of his wounds on Friday morning, adding that two more demonstrators were shot dead by Israeli troops' gunfire during the clashes with the Israeli soldiers in the second week.
He added that the Israeli army had used live ammunitions, rubber-coated metal bullets and tear gas, adding that there are more than 300 fresh injuries on Friday, around half of them were shot with live ammunitions and runner bullets.
Qedra unveiled that the Israeli army is using a kind of tear gas that will make the injured people suffer from pain all over the bodies.
Qedra said that since last Friday, 22 Palestinians were killed and around 2,000 were injured. He accused Israel of using excessive power against the demonstrators and called on the international community for protection of the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
Last Friday, the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip organized a rally that is expected to last for six weeks, known as "the Great March of Return."
The organizers called on the coastal enclave's populations, most of whom are refugees, to head to the borderline area between eastern Gaza Strip and Israel and carry out peaceful rallies.
The rallies and marches will continue until May 15, when Palestinians mark the Nakba Day, the day of their catastrophe, which coincides with Israel's 70th Independence Day.
The organizers and the participants stressed that their protests will not be military but will remain popular and peaceful.
Mahmoud al-Zahar, a senior Hamas leader who arrived at where the rallies took place, told reporters "this is a (popular and peaceful) stage that is one of the several stages, and the arms (guns) will remain in our hands that can be activated in a proper moment."
"Today we are sending a message that our struggle against the occupation is without arms and guns, and we will wait and see if the world receives the message and pressure on Israel to stop its crimes against our people, and if the world fails to do so, we then will be obliged to use our arms," he said.
This Friday, the number of participants who joined the rallies was fewer than last Friday.
Hundreds of Palestinian protesters began early Friday to set fire to dozens of car tires near the border between eastern Gaza Strip and Israel in a bid to make a shield of black smoke to protect themselves from Israeli soldiers' gunfire.
A Xinhua cameraman said he saw large black smoke after tires were burned at the borderline area between eastern Gaza Strip and Israel. The demonstrators wanted to disturb Israeli army snipers from targeting the demonstrators, he added.
At the Israeli side of the border, the Israeli army brought more soldiers, armoured vehicles, drones filled with tear gas canisters, firemen and fire vehicles to prevent smoke from being pushed by the winds into Israel.
On Friday, hundreds began to arrive at five different locations from south to north of the Gaza Strip close to the border with Israel, bringing with them tires and onions to protect themselves from inhaling tear gas.
"I came here to join the marches and rallies to tell the world that we have legitimate rights and need to gain these rights back, mainly the right of return," said Mohamed al-Hosari, a 21-year-old student and a Palestinian refugee from Gaza.
"I know that we cannot do it because we are not army and we cannot defy Israel, therefore, we are joining popular peaceful rallies hoping to convey our message to the world," he added.
