Gazan dies of wounds; death toll rises to 41

By Nour Abu Aisha

GAZA CITY, Palestine (AA) – A Palestinian youth on Monday succumbed to wounds he sustained by Israeli gunfire during anti-occupation rallies on border of the Gaza Strip, according to the health ministry.

The new fatality brings to 41 the number of Palestinians martyred and hundreds injured by Israeli gunfire since the protests began on March 30.

"Tahrir Saeed, 18, from Khan Younis, south of the Gaza Strip, died of his head wounds on Monday,” ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qidra said in a statement.

The rallies are part of a six-week 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.