Great March of Return demonstrations are continuing in Gaza on Wednesday, with Palestinians demanding the right to return to the homes they were expelled from in the 1940s.
"Some 10,000 protesters and demonstrators have gathered at several locations near the security fence of the Gaza Strip", the Israeli army said in a press release.
The Israeli army stated it was using special equipment to contain the protesters.
The protests coincide with the so-called Nakba Day, marking 71 years since the expropriation of Palestinian land following Israel's declaration of independence on 14 May, 1948.
Israelis and Palestinians have experienced hostility in their relations for decades. The Palestinian Authority seeks diplomatic recognition as an independent state on the territories of the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
The Israeli government refuses to recognise the Palestinian Authority as an independent political and diplomatic entity.
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