JERUSALEM, April 20 (Xinhua) -- Approximately 3,000 Palestinians on Friday participated in the riots in five locations along the border between Israel and the Gaza Strip, according to a statement issued by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF).
The IDF troops responded with riot dispersal means and fired in accordance with the rules of engagement, said the Israeli military. "The IDF will not allow any harm to security infrastructure that protects Israeli civilians, and will act against the violent rioters and terrorists."
These Palestinians attempted to approach the security infrastructure, burning tires and flying kites with burning items attached to it. Several kites crossed into Israel and were extinguished when required, said the Israeli military.
Four Palestinians, one of them 15 years old, were shot dead by IDF troops on Friday morning and 729 Palestinians were injured in clashes during skirmishes with Israeli security forces on the Gaza border, according to Palestinian sources.
This is the fourth consecutive week of the Great March of Return staged by the Palestinians in the enclave in recent weeks. The number of Palestinians participating in Friday's protest was significantly smaller than the 10,000 at last Friday's demonstration. There were about 20,000 and 30,000 protesters respectively in the two weeks before.
"It is good to see that the Palestinian public is less and less responding to Hamas' calls," said the Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman, when touring the area of Kibbutz Sa'ad in the Gaza vicinity Friday and pointing to the dwindling numbers in the protests.
Ahead of the protest, the IDF aircraft dropped leaflets in the area where riots have recently been taking place in the Gaza Strip, warning against approaching the security fence and attempting to sabotage it and carry out terror attacks.
The leaflets read, "You are participating in violent riots. The Hamas terror organization is taking advantage of you in order to carry out terror attacks. The IDF is prepared for all scenarios."
"Stay away from the fence and do not attempt to harm it; avoid using weapons and committing violent acts against Israeli security forces and Israeli citizens," the leaflets added. "Stay away from the terror instigators and violent riot orchestrators. The IDF will operate against every attempted terror act targeting the barrier, its components and all other IDF equipment."
It is the first time that the IDF has dropped leaflets from the air on the Gaza Strip ahead of the mass demonstrations on the border, Israeli media reported.
Since the beginning of the violent demonstrations along the border, 34 Palestinians have allegedly been killed by IDF fire and the bodies of two of them who tried to attack an IDF position are still being held by Israel, according to Israeli media.
