A newspaper affiliated to Hamas is reporting that a deal has been reached with Israel to reduce tension in the Gaza Strip, as Palestinians prepare to mark the one-year anniversary of weekly protests along the border fence with Israel.

Gaza’s fence with Israel has for the past year been the scene of mass protests and major bloodshed in which more than 260 Palestinians were killed by Israeli sniper fire and nearly 7,000 shot and wounded, according to Gaza’s health ministry.

For months, and through repeated military escalations, Egyptian mediators have been trying to broker a truce.

But on the eve of the anniversary of the so-call Great March of Return protests, the organising committee, which is calling for a “million man march” on Saturday, issued instructions to the demonstrators: Stay back from Israeli guns, follow commands of organisers on the ground, make no aggressive actions, and don’t burn tyres – a sign that an Egyptian-brokered deal was in the works.

“The occupation has to meet this test – to implement the positive responses we heard from the Egyptian delegation,” Khalil Alhaya, a Hamas officia, told Dubai News. “We, the Palestinian factions and our people, are struggling to achieve our fair and legitimate demands.”

Palestinians with knowledge of the talks have said that as part of the proposed deal, Gaza protesters were to keep away from the fence on Saturday and Israeli snipers were to hold their fire.

But early on Saturday, the health ministry in Gaza said a Palestinian man was shot dead by Israeli forces near the perimeter fence with Israel, hours before the mass protest was expected to start.

The ministry said 21-year-old Mohammed Saad was shot at a protest camp near the fence. The Israeli military had no immediate comment.



