2 Palestinians, including teenager, killed in Gaza protest

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — Gaza’s Health Ministry says Israeli troops killed two Palestinians in a protest near the fence dividing Israel and the Hamas-ruled territory.

The ministry said Friday a 13-year-old boy was among the dead and 46 were wounded by gunfire.

Thousands of Palestinians flocked to the frontier, continuing near-weekly protests that Hamas has staged since March.

The Israeli military said the protesters burnt tires at several locations along the fence and threw explosives at the troops, prompting a response with “riot dispersal means and live fire.”

An aircraft also carried out two airstrikes in northern Gaza, the military said.

The Islamic militant group wants an end to a decade-long Israeli-Egyptian blockade on Gaza.

At least 145 Palestinians were killed in the protests and a sniper shot dead an Israeli soldier in August.