Doctors in Gaza are discharging seriously injured patients because they need the bed capacity for border protests on Friday.

Last week, hundreds of Palestinians were injured and more than a dozen were killed in the bloodiest day of violence since the last Gaza war in 2014.

The Palestinian Authority and human rights groups have accused Israel of using excessive force against unarmed protesters.

Israel says it will do everything it needs to do to protect its "sovereign border" and is warning people that they risk their lives if they approach the fence.

Image: Doctors are having to discharge badly injured protesters to make way for more on Friday

Many of the injured Palestinians remain in hospital with life-changing injuries, but one doctor, treating a 19-year-old who may have to have his foot amputated, said he will have to move patients out to make room for more injured protesters.


Dr Ayman Harb, at the al Aqsa Hospital in the Gaza Strip, told Sky News: "We will discharge him because I'm waiting for next Friday, tomorrow.

"All our patients, even if they are serious - I need the bed capacity."

Image: Dr Ayman Harb is discharging seriously injured patients to make way for more

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) claim most of the people killed had documented terror backgrounds and that the protests have been instigated by Hamas as a "camouflage for terror".

This is denied by the demonstrators and by the organisers.

Ahmed Nawagha, a 24-year-old graduate who was on the border, told me the protests were about popular resistance and highlighting the dire humanitarian conditions in Gaza.

"They (the protesters) are a hundred metres at least from the fence," he said.

Palestinians: 'We want to go home'

"They're not carrying a Molotov, they are not carrying a bomb or a rocket or even anything that relates to terrorism.

"If this stone is something like terrorism then consider me a terrorist."

One of the spokesmen for the Great March of Return, Asad Abu Sharekh, said while it is supported by Hamas this is an initiative of the people of Gaza, framed around the issue of the right of return.

He said: "We are quite determined to have our right of return to live in peace and justice.

Image: More protesters are set to demonstrate at the heavily armed border with Gaza and Israel

"We want the whole world to redress the wrongs committed against the Palestinian people. We are ready to live with the Israelis in our own land."

Five tented areas have been set up along the border and the main demonstrations will take place every Friday.

But every day, people have been protesting and say they will continue to do so until the middle of May, when Israel celebrates its Independence Day and the Palestinians mark 'Nakba' - the catastrophe which saw many of them become refugees during the conflict which led to the creation of Israel in 1948.