Palestinians evacuate a wounded journalist during protests along the Gaza-Israel boundary, Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, 6 April. Ashraf Amra APA images

Nine Palestinians were killed on Friday as Israel ignored calls for restraint in its use of force against unarmed protesters in Gaza for the second week in a row.

Initial reports: 7 demonstrators killed today, inc 2 kids, 293 injured w live ammo. Would make death toll since #LandDay 29, 23 in demos. Appears Israeli officials doubling down on unlawful policy to fire on demonstrators irrespective of threat they pose https://t.co/KkZBkF2TrF — Omar Shakir (@OmarSShakir) April 6, 2018

Journalist Yaser Murtaja, shot while wearing a vest marking him as a member of the press, was among those killed:

The last 1 to die by Israeli fire Friday is our friend and colleague, video journalist Yasser Mortaga. I saw him at the demonstration minutes before he was hit with a gunshot in the waist. RIP. — Fares Akram (@faresakram) April 6, 2018

Sources in Gaza have confirmed that journalist Yaser Murtaja has died after being shot in the abdomen by an Israeli sniper while covering the protests. He was clearly wearing a vest that identified him as press. Rest in peace. pic.twitter.com/oKLSBhXiUk — Liam O'Hare (@Liam_O_Hare) April 6, 2018

Two of those killed were children under the age of 18: Hussein Muhammad Adnan Madi, 13, shot in the stomach with live fire east of Gaza City, and Alaa al-Din Yahya Ismail al-Zamli, 15, fatally wounded east of Rafah.

Our investigation confirms Israeli forces killed 13-year-old Hussein Mohammad Adnan Madi in Gaza yesterday around 4 pm local time. He sustained a gunshot wound to the abdomen & was later pronounced dead at Shifa hospital. #GazaReturnMarch pic.twitter.com/TJfsnVqvU3 — Defense for Children (@DCIPalestine) April 7, 2018

Yesterday, Israeli forces shot & killed 15-year-old Aladdin Yahia Ismail Zamili in Gaza around 6 pm local time. He sustained a gunshot wound to the neck and was later pronounced dead at Youssef Al-Najjar hospital in Rafah. #GazaReturnMarch pic.twitter.com/xJb918JeMa — Defense for Children (@DCIPalestine) April 7, 2018

Also in Rafah, Israeli soldiers shot at the head of Muhammad Said Mousa al-Haj Saleh, 33, killing him.

In Khan Younis, also in Gaza’s south, Usama Khamis Musallam Qudeih, 29, died after he was shot in the head by soldiers.

Photo taken from the Nahal Oz kibbutz in southern Israel shows soldiers using tear gas and live ammunition as Palestinians burn tires during a protest on the Israel-Gaza boundary on 6 April. Oren Ziv ActiveStills

In central Gaza east of Deir al-Balah, two Palestinians died after they were shot in the head by soldiers: Ibrahim Ziyad Salameh al-Ar, 20, and Sudqi Talib Muhammad Abu Ateiweh, 45. Both men were from Nuseirat refugee camp.

Hamza Abd al-Al, 20, was also shot and killed in the eastern boundary of central Gaza.

In northern Gaza, Majdi Ramadan Mousa Shbat, 38, died after he was shot in the neck with live fire.

An eighth victim, Thaer Muhammad Rabaa, 30, died on Friday from injuries he sustained during the first day of the Great March of Return protest in northern Gaza, on 30 March.

A photo of Rabaa circulated on social media after his death:

الشهيد ثائر محمد رابعة 30 عاما الذي ارتقى صباح اليوم متأثرا بجراح أصيب بها الجمعة الماضية على الحدود الشرقية لغزة. pic.twitter.com/hdkP6ua8hy — شبكة قدس الإخبارية (@qudsn) April 6, 2018

Israeli forces have killed 31 Palestinians in Gaza, including 27 during protests, since 30 March – which Palestinians mark annually as Land Day. Rallies are planned to continue through to Nakba Day, the 15 May commemoration of the 1948 ethnic cleansing of Palestine.

While there has been broad participation in the festival-like rallies, Israel has responded to them by deploying snipers with shoot-to-kill orders.

Three of those killed since 30 March were children, including 17-year-old Ibrahim Abu Shaar, whose age was confirmed by Defense for Children International Palestine on Friday:

Israeli forces shot dead Ibrahim Abu Sha'er on March 30. @DCIPalestine investigations confirmed he was 17 years old when he was killed, not 22 years as reported by news media. Under international law, any person below 18 years is considered a child. #GazaReturnMarch pic.twitter.com/G9j6kILNQk — Defense for Children (@DCIPalestine) April 6, 2018

Ibrahim, 17, was shot & killed by Israeli forces on March 30. The bullet struck him in the right side of neck & exited from his head. He was 70–100 meters (230–330 feet) away from where Israeli forces were deployed on the other side of the Gaza border fence. #GazaReturnMarch — Defense for Children (@DCIPalestine) April 6, 2018

Israel’s deadly use of force over the past week did not deter protesters from gathering along Gaza’s eastern boundary to demand their right to return on Friday.

20 year old Ahmad Abu Ghali shows off his stomach injury after being shot by Israeli troops in clashes last week. He escaped from hospital early to join Friday’s Gaza protests. “Today I will cross the border” pic.twitter.com/Eieq8SNOS2 — Joe (@joedyke) April 6, 2018

In an effort to prevent a repeat of last Friday’s high casualties, Palestinians had attempted to obscure the vision of Israeli snipers by burning tires as a smokescreen:

فرحة فلسطينيون بعد عمل ستار دخاني منع قناصو الاحتلال من اطلاق النار عليهم.#مسيرة_العودة_الكبرى pic.twitter.com/E30AWSFozv — شبكة قدس الإخبارية (@qudsn) April 6, 2018

Palestinian outlets circulated “before and after” images claiming to show, on the right, snipers positioned on a hill before tires were burned and, on the left, an evacuated post after they were set on fire:

من ذات المكان.. كيف بَدت الصورة قبل إحراق إطارات "الكوشوك" وبعد إحراقها قرب السياج الفاصل شرق غزة pic.twitter.com/7kcVoq44kl — شبكة قدس الإخبارية (@qudsn) April 6, 2018

Israeli journalists reported that the military deployed giant fans and “the most powerful fire truck available in Israel, usually stationed in the oil refineries”:

Video of 1 of the "special measures" Israeli army brought to deal with the #FridayOfTires: the most powerful fire truck available in Israel, usually stationed in the oil refinaries (for obvious reasons...). The water cannon has a range of 100 metershttps://t.co/u6V5J35leD — Asaf Ronel (@AsafRonel) April 6, 2018

Photos from the protests circulated on social media show Palestinians improvising methods to protect themselves from tear gas fired by soldiers:

لحمايتهم من قنابل الغاز.. كمامة يدوية الصنع لأحد المشاركين بمسيرة العودة شرق غزة.



تصوير: يونس جمال pic.twitter.com/BsdlKEPed4 — شبكة قدس الإخبارية (@qudsn) April 6, 2018

Despite these efforts, more than 1,300 Palestinians were injured – around 30 of them critically – by Israeli forces in Gaza on Friday. Nearly 500 were injured by live fire, the Gaza health ministry stated.

In addition to protesters, Israeli forces injured at least three journalists in Gaza on Friday:

Half an hour ago the occupation army shot my brother, journalist, Ibrahim Zanoun in the arm! — Ezz zanoon (@EzzZanoon) April 6, 2018

لحظة إصابة عدد من الصحفيين بقنابل الغاز شرق خانيونس جنوب قطاع غزة. pic.twitter.com/73xnXnGJfZ — شبكة قدس الإخبارية (@qudsn) April 6, 2018

إصابة الزميل الصحفي خليل أبو عاذرة برصاص الاحتلال في القدم شرق قطاع غزة. pic.twitter.com/Po8CLtI8QV — شبكة قدس الإخبارية (@qudsn) April 6, 2018

The Committee to Protect Journalists put out an advisory to reporters covering Friday’s protests, after 10 Palestinian journalists were injured during protests on 30 March.

“Journalists reported being targeted by both live fire and tear gas up to 500 meters from the Gaza-Israel border [sic] fence,” the watchdog group stated.

“This is despite Israeli authorities having set a 300-meter limit for approaching the fence, according to news reports.”

Palestinian paramedics set up medical posts ahead of Friday’s rallies, as more than 1,500 demonstrators were injured during last week’s protests – half of them by live fire.

#PRCS teams in #Gaza_Strip is setting 5 advanced medical posts at the eastern border of Gaza to respond to any emergency today. pic.twitter.com/eTuXaOezpI — PRCS (@PalestineRCS) April 6, 2018

#PRCS provided first aid services to 250 injured in the Gaza Strip since this morning. pic.twitter.com/8aVo8QeECJ — PRCS (@PalestineRCS) April 6, 2018

Paramedics were among those targeted and injured by Israeli occupation forces on Friday:

قوات الاحتلال تستهدف الطواقم الطبية بقنابل الغاز شرق مخيم البريج وسط قطاع غزة. pic.twitter.com/JzaRh3ViV8 — شبكة قدس الإخبارية (@qudsn) April 6, 2018

شاهد: إصابة أحد أفراد الطواقم الطبية الفلسطينية شرق مدينة خانيونس. pic.twitter.com/B6ewJ0Vzxz — شبكة قدس الإخبارية (@qudsn) April 6, 2018

A photo from Friday shows a paramedic, his own leg bandaged, treating an injured protester:

مصاب يسعف مصاباً..من مسيرات العودة بغزة. pic.twitter.com/P3jG1wEnwc — شبكة قدس الإخبارية (@qudsn) April 6, 2018

The hundreds of injuries over the past two Fridays of protest have further strained Gaza’s already embattled health system.

Government-run hospitals in Gaza “were overwhelmed by the number of injuries, with urgent needs reported for anesthesia and other essentials,” the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) stated on Friday.

Gaza’s ministry of health “also reported that medical supplies needed for emergency and trauma management continue to deplete,” and replacements from its counterpart in the West Bank “are yet to arrive,” OCHA added.

“In a visit to al-Shifa hospital, the largest in Gaza, where a state of emergency had been declared, OCHA witnessed 115 injured in the operation rooms, departments of intensive care, orthopedics and trauma departments.”

The Palestine Red Crescent Society has “also warned of a shortage of medical supplies and of personal protective equipment for their 400-person team deployed across Gaza.”

Paramedics at the protests were overwhelmed by the number of injuries, with two of the Red Crescent’s posts unable to cope.

A Palestinian man carries Iyad al-Dawahid’s prosthetic leg at Gaza City’s al-Shifa hospital after he was shot by Israeli forces during protests along the Israel-Gaza boundary, 6 April 2018. Mahmoud Ajour APA images

Iyad al-Dawahid is taken to al-Shifa hospital for treatment after he was shot by Israeli occupation forces during protests at the Israel-Gaza boundary, 6 April. Mahmoud Ajour APA images

On Friday Israeli officials once again openly admitted that they are wilfully targeting protesters, with military spokesperson Avichay Adraee stating that “Anyone who thinks he can hide from behind the lenses of our forces is wrong, we see you clearly”:

Embedded in Adraee’s tweet was an image that appeared to show Palestinian civilians, including a child, seen through binoculars or a scope.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights stated its “grave concern” for further violence ahead of Friday’s demonstrations.

The UN body stated that attempts by Palestinians to approach or cross the boundary fence “by itself certainly does not amount to a threat to life or serious injury that would justify the use of live ammunition.”

#Gaza: @UNHumanRights reminds Israel of obligation to ensure excessive force is not employed against protestors. "Unlawful recourse to firearms by law enforcement resulting in death may amount to a wilful killing, a grave breach of the 4th Geneva Convention" - spox Liz Throssell pic.twitter.com/19gpMs92wT — UN Geneva (@UNGeneva) April 6, 2018

The UN stated: “In the context of a military occupation, as is the case in Gaza, the unjustified and unlawful recourse to firearms by law enforcement resulting in death may amount to a wilful killing, a grave breach of the Fourth Geneva Convention.”

As its use of deadly force against unarmed protesters has met with condemnation from Human Rights Watch and other groups, Israel has relied on the argument that it is defending its borders from “terrorists”:

The IDF is protecting Israeli civilians whose homes are just minutes from the Gaza border#NotAPeacefulProtest#TerrorNotProtest pic.twitter.com/gCChN62L8l — IDF (@IDFSpokesperson) April 6, 2018

IDF troops thwarted the infiltrations and are responding with riot dispersal means, including water cannons to put out fires, a huge fan to disperse the smoke, and fire in accordance with the rules of engagement — IDF (@IDFSpokesperson) April 6, 2018

However, journalists, like Human Rights Watch, have pointed out that there have been no armed persons among the demonstrators:

Over the course of several hours at the #Gaza border today and Thurs, I haven't seen any protesters with guns or Molotov cocktails.



I've seen a tiny handful - single digits among thousands of young men - with axes, knives or heavy shears for cutting the fence. — Raf Sanchez (@rafsanchez) April 6, 2018

Journalists have also pointed out that the Gaza-Israel boundary is not a border between two sovereign states, but an armistice line between an occupying power and the population living under its military rule:

Key point: This is not an international border between two sovereign states. I got a lot of tweets last week saying "it's a border, dummy!" This is an armistice line. An electric-fence-concrete-wall armistice line. https://t.co/bjJBEEEzzR — Molly Hunter (@mollymhunter) April 6, 2018

That distinction is apparently lost on the Trump administration in Washington, whose Middle East envoy put out a statement on Thursday which essentially blames Palestinians for their own deaths, absolving Israel of any responsibility:

Alternate headline: State Department Condemns Palestinian Protestors for Walking into IDF Bullets pic.twitter.com/1HZwNWqXzi — IfNotNow🔥 (@IfNotNowOrg) April 5, 2018

It is hardly the first time that the Trump administration has demonstrated its callous disregard for Palestinian lives.

Eight Palestinians in Gaza were killed by Israeli forces in the month of December alone while protesting Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

The European Union also laid the blame on Palestinians, albeit more subtly than the US administration.

Having failed to condemn Israel’s premeditated slaughter last week, the EU put out a statement Thursday night urging Palestinians to “avoid any incitement to violence” and to “remain strictly nonviolent,” even though not a single Israeli has been reported injured as a result of the protests.

At the same time, the EU justified Israel’s use of force “when defending its legitimate security interests,” but urged that it commit violence against Palestinians with “proportionality.”

It remains to be seen if the EU, which brands itself as a champion of human rights, will consider this Friday’s death toll to be more “proportional” than last week.

A Palestinian protester wears a tire outfitted with onions to counteract tear gas fired by Israeli forces, Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, 6 April. Ashraf Amra APA images

Fifty-one Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in the West Bank and Gaza so far this year, including Iyad Zabarka, a 30-year-old Palestinian citizen of Israel who was shot dead by soldiers in the West Bank while fleeing the scene after he reportedly crashed a stolen car during a chase with a private security company on Tuesday.

Five Israelis – three settlers and two soldiers – were killed by Palestinians in the West Bank during the same period.

This story was updated since initial publication.