A Palestinian woman has been shot dead by Israeli forces in Gaza during protests on the border fences, according to local health authorities, as the Israeli military said its aircraft struck two Hamas positions in response to “violent” rioting.

Ashraf al-Kidra, a spokesman for Gaza’s Health Ministry, said Amal al-Taramsi, 43, was shot in the head during the rallies, which have been held regularly since last March. Mr al-Kidra added that a further 25 Palestinians were wounded by gunfire.

A witness to Friday’s killing, the first of the year, said that Ms al-Taramsi, from Sheikh Radwan north of Gaza city, was standing about 150 metres away from the fence when she was gunned down.

“She took a flag from a youth and before she moved, three gunshots rang out ... she fell down,” Umm Yazan said, speaking from Gaza’s main al-Shifaa hospital.

The Israeli military said 13,000 people participated in several demonstrations along the fence on Friday which turned violent. It said there were three incidents of Gazans breaking through the border fence and that its airforce retaliated with airstrikes on positions belonging to Hamas, the militant group that runs the enclave.

“In response to the violence … aircraft targeted two Hamas military posts. The [Israeli army] holds Hamas responsible for all violence that emanates from the Gaza Strip,” they said in a statement.

There were no reports of casualties from the airstrikes.

Hundreds of thousands of Gazans have marched towards the fences with Israel each week since last March demanding the end of a crippling 11-year Israeli-enforced blockade and the right to return to the lands they were forced from during the 1948 conflict which surrounded the creation of Israel.

More than 220 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire in the protests, according to Gaza’s health ministry.

The Israelis have defended their use of force saying demonstrators, encouraged by Hamas, have repeatedly attempted to break through the fences and have taken to flying burning kites and balloons tied with explosives towards Israel, endangering lives.

The escalating violence pushed both sides to the brink of war on numerous occasions last year. Egypt repeatedly stepped in to broker ceasefires and is still hammering out a long-term peace deal.

On Friday, two senior Egyptian security officials left the territory after meeting with officials from Hamas, as part of Cairo-led efforts to reconcile the Islamist group with its rival in the West Bank, Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas.

Tensions reached breaking point earlier week when forces loyal to Mr Abbas and his Palestinian Authority (PA), withdrew from the Rafah border crossing in Gaza, accusing Hamas of interference.

Gaza crisis: heavy cross-border fire in pictures Show all 23 1 /23 Gaza crisis: heavy cross-border fire in pictures Gaza crisis: heavy cross-border fire in pictures A ball of fire above the building housing the Hamas-run television station al-Aqsa TV in the Gaza Strip during an Israeli air strike AFP/Getty Gaza crisis: heavy cross-border fire in pictures Israeli Iron Dome anti-missile systems firing toward missiles fired from the Gaza Strip near the southern city of Sderot, Israel. Israeli army report that approximately 300 missile launches were identified from the Gaza strip toward Israel. Dozens of launches were intercepted by the Iron Dome aerial defense system EPA Gaza crisis: heavy cross-border fire in pictures Israeli soldiers take cover near the Israel Gaza border AP Gaza crisis: heavy cross-border fire in pictures A bus set ablaze after it was hit by a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip. Israel's military said it was carrying out air strikes "throughout the Gaza Strip" on Monday after rocket fire from the Palestinian enclave towards its territory AFP/Getty Gaza crisis: heavy cross-border fire in pictures Palestinians inspect a rubble of a destroyed internal security building of Hamas interior ministry after Israeli air strike in Gaza City EPA Gaza crisis: heavy cross-border fire in pictures A Palestinian girl walks up the stairs of her family house that was damaged in an Israeli air strike REUTERS Gaza crisis: heavy cross-border fire in pictures Fire and smoke billow following Israeli air strikes targeting Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, near the border with Egypt AFP/Getty Images Gaza crisis: heavy cross-border fire in pictures Missiles from Israel's Iron Dome air defence system in the south of Israel destroy incoming missiles AFP/Getty Images Gaza crisis: heavy cross-border fire in pictures Israeli security forces and firefighters gather near abuilding set ablaze after it was hit by a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip, in the southern Israeli town of Sderot AFP/Getty Gaza crisis: heavy cross-border fire in pictures epa07162276 A Palestinian girl stands between the rubble of her family house close a destroyed building of Al-Aqsa channel belonging to Hamas movement after Israeli air strike in Gaza City, 13 November 2018. According to reports, Palestinian militants fired 300 rockets and mortars at Israel from the Gaza Strip. The Israel army responded with strikes on what it said were targets belonging to Hamas and Islamic Jihad. EPA/MOHAMMED SABER MOHAMMED SABER EPA Gaza crisis: heavy cross-border fire in pictures A picture taken on November 12, 2018 shows a ball of fire above the building housing the Hamas-run television station al-Aqsa TV in Gaza City during an Israeli air strike. - Israel's military said it was carrying out air strikes "throughout the Gaza Strip" after rocket fire from the Palestinian enclave towards its territory. (Photo by Bashar TALEB / AFP)BASHAR TALEB/AFP/Getty Images BASHAR TALEB AFP/Getty Images Gaza crisis: heavy cross-border fire in pictures A ruble of a destroyed building of Al-Aqsa channel belonging to Hamas movement EPA Gaza crisis: heavy cross-border fire in pictures Israeli security forces and firefighters gather near a bus set ablaze after it was hit by a rocket fired from the Palestinian enclave AFP Gaza crisis: heavy cross-border fire in pictures Relatives of Mohammed Ouda, killed in an Israeli air stike the previous day, mourn during his funeral in Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP/Getty Images Gaza crisis: heavy cross-border fire in pictures Missiles from Israel's Iron Dome air defence system in the south of Israel destroy incoming missiles fired at Israel from the Palestinian enclave AFP/Getty Images Gaza crisis: heavy cross-border fire in pictures Israeli soldiers sit atop a Merkava tank stationed along the Israeli border with the Gaza Strip AFP/Getty Images Gaza crisis: heavy cross-border fire in pictures Black smoke rises as an Israeli airstrike hits a residential building in Gaza City AP Gaza crisis: heavy cross-border fire in pictures Palestinians look out of their house that was damaged in an Israeli air strike REUTERS Gaza crisis: heavy cross-border fire in pictures Palestinians hold placards and the Palestinian flag during a protest in solidarity with Gaza, in the West Bank city of Hebron EPA Gaza crisis: heavy cross-border fire in pictures An Israeli policeman inspects the damage in a building caused a day earlier by a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip, in the southern Israeli town of Ashkelon AFP/Getty Images Gaza crisis: heavy cross-border fire in pictures A Palestinian boy inspects the rubble of a destroyed residential building after Israeli air strike in Gaza City EPA Gaza crisis: heavy cross-border fire in pictures A man stands inside a house damaged by a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip overnight, in the Israeli city of Ashkelon November 13, 2018. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY RONEN ZVULUN REUTERS Gaza crisis: heavy cross-border fire in pictures Palestinians survey a destroyed residential building hit by Israeli airstrikes, in Gaza City, Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2018. (AP Photo/Hatem Moussa) Hatem Moussa AP

The crossing is the only way for Palestinians to leave the enclave without going through Israel.

Egypt has prevented Gazans from leaving the enclave since PA staff left.

The Egyptians were also in Gaza to discuss the ongoing peace efforts between Gaza and Israel.

A Palestinian official said Egypt’s message was that Israel sought no escalation.