The Israeli army appears to be using new weapons -- including exploding bullets and mysterious gases -- against Palestinian protesters on the Gaza Strip’s eastern border.

With a view to determining the exact nature of these weapons, Anadolu Agency spoke to local medical sources and injured Palestinian protesters.

Dr. Ashraf al-Qidra, a spokesman for Gaza’s Health Ministry, confirmed that Israel was using a deadly new form of ammunition that causes grave bodily damage.

“The bullets we’re seeing now are the deadliest the Israeli army has ever used,” al-Qidra told Anadolu Agency. “This ammunition can cause massive damage to the bodies of victims, frequently resulting in death.”



Israeli army shells town in Gaza Strip, injuring four Four people were injured early Wednesday in an Israeli artillery attack on the town of Khuzaa in the southern Gaza Strip.One of those injured is now in critical condition and is receiving treatment at the European Hospital in the nearby city of Khan Younis, a medical source, preferring anonymity, told Anadolu Agency.An Anadolu Agency correspondent based in the Gaza Strip said that Khuzaa had been the target of intense Israeli army shelling and gunfire earlier Wednesday.Tension has mounted in the blockaded Gaza Strip since March 30, when Palestinians began holding mass rallies along the coastal enclave’s 45-kilometer eastern border with Israel.Since then, at least 35 Palestinian demonstrators have been martyred -- and another 3,000 injured -- by cross-border Israeli army gunfire.The rallies are part of a planned six-week border protest that will culminate on May 15. That day will mark the 70th anniversary of Israel's establishment -- an event Palestinians refer to as the “Nakba” or “Catastrophe”.Demonstrators demand that Palestinian refugees be granted the “right of return” to their towns and villages in historical Palestine from which they were driven in 1948 to make way for the new state of Israel.UN experts condemn Israel for violence on PalestiniansWest Bankers commemorate Palestinian Prisoners Day

Israeli army strikes Hamas position in Gaza On Tuesday evening, the Israeli army shelled a Hamas monitoring site in the central Gaza Strip, causing no casualties.According to Anadolu Agency correspondents on the ground, Israeli artillery shelled a checkpoint on the eastern border of the Bureij camp, belonging to the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas.As of 17:30 GMT, there were no reports of casualties and no Israeli army statement on the shelling.

Exploding bullets

“These bullets, which our medics have yet to identify, can affect bone, muscle, arteries and other organs,” al-Qidra said.

Victims of these bullets, he explained, are completely incapacitated -- if they survive at all -- and usually require extensive surgery.

“The bullet penetrates the body and explodes inside, damaging multiple organs -- not just the targeted area,” al-Qidra said.

“Such ammunition is banned internationally, but Israel continues to use it against peaceful demonstrators,” he added.

Fahad Zuhd, 28, has been in hospital for the last two weeks after having been shot in the leg while taking part in Gaza’s ongoing border protests.

When he was shot, Zuhd told Anadolu Agency: “I saw my knee explode; I lost 8.5 centimeters of bone while the blood vessels and arteries in my leg were ruptured.”

“When I arrived at the hospital, I had only three and a half units of blood due to severe hemorrhaging,” the young man recalled.



Zuhd has since undergone several surgical operations aimed at replacing the bone destroyed by the bullet.

Another victim of this deadly new bullet was Palestinian journalist Yasser Murtaja, who had been covering the rallies on April 6 when he was shot in the abdomen by an Israeli sniper.

Murtaja died shortly afterward when the bullet exploded in his abdomen, destroying his spleen, colon and liver.

UN experts condemn Israel for violence on Palestinians UN human rights experts on Tuesday slammed Israeli security forces for killing Palestinians near the Gaza fence by using firearms, including live ammunition.In a statement, the experts said: "UN human rights experts have condemned the continued use of firearms, including live ammunition, by Israeli security forces against mostly unarmed Palestinian protesters and observers for a third straight week near the fence between occupied Gaza and Israel."Among the UN experts were Agnes Callamard, Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions; Leilani Farha, Special Rapporteur on the right to adequate housing; Miche Forst, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders; Idriss Jazairy Special Rapporteur on the negative impact of the unilateral coercive measures on the enjoyment of human rights; Michael Lynk, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian Territory occupied since 1967; Nyaletsossi Clement Voule, Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of assembly and association.Israeli blockade impoverishes GazansThe UN and its independent human rights experts, along with the International Criminal Court, have expressed grave concern about the Israeli security forces’ use of force, and called for an end to the violence.“Despite Israel’s commitment to investigate the events of the past few weeks, security forces continue to use live ammunition and rubber bullets against the protesters, killing and wounding dozens of mostly unarmed protesters, women, men and children alike.“We express our outrage over these shootings that may have resulted in unlawful killings and the incomprehensibly high number of injuries sustained,” the statement said.According to the UN, at least 28 Palestinians have been killed and more than 1,600 wounded by Israeli security forces during a series of demonstrations that began on March 30 and are set to continue until May 15.The participants are protesting their forced evictions and displacement since 1948 and calling for an end to the 11-year blockade on Gaza.Lethal force illegalAmong those killed were three children and a journalist, who was wearing a clearly visible insignia identifying him as a member of the press. Six other journalists have so far been wounded, the experts said."No evidence has emerged showing that such a situation occurred during the demonstrations that would make the lethal force used legal," they said.Noting that the freedoms of association, assembly, and expression have been all fundamental rights under international human rights law, the experts said: "These rights are to be given broad protection, and can only be restricted in narrow and exceptional circumstances.“Israel must fully observe these rights, and ensure that their approaches to crowd control and demonstrations are in strict accordance with international law.”The deadly use of force against demonstrators could constitute crimes under the Rome Statute, the experts said, adding: "The deaths and injuries since 30 March by the Israeli security forces appeared to be in breach of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (1966), The Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials (1990) and the prohibitions in the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949 against willful killings and the serious injury of the protected population."The UN experts also reiterated their call on the international community, through the UN, to establish an independent commission to investigate the events of the past three weeks."While Israel’s announcement that it will launch a probe is welcome, we are concerned that the planned probe may lack the independence, impartiality and effectiveness required by the international law," they said."We call for an immediate end to the 11-year-old comprehensive blockade on Gaza, which is imposing untold suffering on the population," the experts added.

Israeli blockade impoverishes Gazans Due to an Israeli blockade, the Gaza Strip’s roughly 2 million inhabitants have been subjected to poverty and hardship. In a report released by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, the percentage of poverty was 13.9 percent in the West Bank, while it reached more than half of thr population in Gaza Strip with 53 percent. The rate of unemployment in Gaza reached 44 percent. This figure soars up to 60 percent among young university graduates.At least 1.3 million in need of aidThe economy of Gaza, whose population has risen by 38 percent in the past decade, has grown by just 1.44 percent. The poverty percentages were 25.8 percent in 2011 while it increased by 13.2 percent in 2017 to reach 29.2 percent of individuals were below the poverty line.The UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, meanwhile, has reported that -- as of the end of 2016 -- 1.3 million Gazans depended on international aid in order to survive, while 47 percent of families in Gaza lacked access to secure food supplies.W. Bank settlers damage Palestinian vehicles: OfficialExpansive blockadeGaza Strip locals rely on a sophisticated network of cross-border tunnels to import basic commodities, including food, fuel, and medicine as a result of the Israeli blockade.Under the 1993 Oslo Accords between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, Gazan fishermen were given the right to ply to their trade up to 20 miles off Gaza’s shoreline. This, however, was recently reduced by the Israeli authorities to a mere nine miles. As a result of the dire circumstances, Gazan locals rely on the aid provided by the UN, however a portion of this has been suspended. The U.S. recently decided to withhold $65 million in aid to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) following President Donald Trump’s decision last year to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. Experts attribute the worsening situation to declining business activity and local production as a direct result of the Israeli blockade.A chronic electricity shortfall, caused by the siege, has contributed largely to declining production, which in turn has forced numerous businesses to halt operations.Disabled Gazan siblings brought to Turkey for treatmentIsrael locks down W. Bank, Gaza for anniversary partyIsraeli soldiers wound 3 Palestinians along Gaza borderSwedish activist continues walk for PalestineAt least two Palestinians dead in Gaza explosion

Mystery gas

Al-Qidra also noted a second deadly new weapon now being used by the Israeli army: a mysterious gas that has caused hundreds of protesters to suffer temporary asphyxia and show other unusual symptoms.

“We still don’t understand the exact nature of this gas,” he said. “All we know is that it causes violent convulsions, vomiting, coughing and rapid heart rates.”



“Dozens of people exposed to this gas have returned to the hospital after experiencing rapid health deteriorations,” he added.



“It’s much more dangerous than teargas; it causes never-before-seen symptoms and probably leads to future health complications,” al-Qidra explained.

While taking part in the border rallies two weeks ago, Ali Sharif, 31, suffered temporary asphyxia from gas inhalation while also being shot in the leg.

Since then, he has been receiving treatment at Gaza City’s Shifa Medical Complex.

“After they fired gas bombs at us, I was paralyzed and couldn’t breathe. My eyes were burning,” Sharif told Anadolu Agency.

“Doctors later diagnosed me with a stomach ulcer,” he said. “For the next week, I couldn’t eat without vomiting.”

Activists, meanwhile, have posted footage online showing young protesters experiencing severe convulsions after having been exposed to the gas.

Since the border rallies began almost three weeks ago, at least 35 Palestinians have been killed -- while hundreds more have been injured -- by cross-border Israeli gunfire.

According to al-Qidra, most of these deaths were caused by exploding bullets.

The rallies are part of a six-week demonstration that will culminate on May 15. That day will mark the 70th anniversary of Israel's establishment -- an event Palestinians refer to as the “Nakba” or “Catastrophe”.

Demonstrators demand that Palestinian refugees be granted the “right of return” to their homes in historical Palestine from which they were driven in 1948 to make way for the new state of Israel.

01:15 dk 13 Nisan 2018 Yeni Şafak Israeli forces wound 30 more Palestinians in Gaza-Israel border protests Israeli troops shot and wounded 30 Palestinians during a large protest on the Gaza-Israel border on Friday. Thousands of Palestinians arrived at tented camps near the frontier as a protest dubbed “The Great March of Return” - evoking a longtime call for refugees to regain ancestral homes in what is now Israel - moved into its third week.