The Times of Israel reports: Thousands of Palestinians converged on the Gaza border with Israel for a fifth round of weekly protests Friday, some throwing stones and burning tires, as a top UN official urged Israel to refrain from using excessive force against them.

Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry said 50 people were injured, several from live fire and others from tear gas inhalation. Channel 10 news reported that at least one person was critically injured by Israeli fire, apparently while attempting to sabotage the border fence. Hundreds of protesters broke off from a larger protest and gathered next to the border fence. east of Gaza City. Witnesses said at least three protesters broke through the fence and briefly entered Israel before running back.

It was not immediately clear how many people were participating in Friday’s “March of Return” rally, though numbers appeared to be down from previous weeks. The number of demonstrators has progressively dwindled, with the first event on March 30 drawing around 30,000 people, and last Friday’s rally managing only around a tenth of that.

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