3 protesters killed at Gaza border, hundreds wounded, Gaza medics report

Israeli troops shot dead threeprotesters along the Gaza border on Friday, Gaza medics said,hours after the United Nations human rights chief criticisedIsrael for using "excessive force" against demonstrators.

Dozens of Palestinians have been killed byIsraeli troopssince Gaza residents began staging protestsalong the border fence on March 30 to demand the right of returnfor Palestinian refugees. Estimates of the number of dead and wounded vary, with The Associated Press reporting 38 dead and 1,600 wounded and Reuters citing 41 dead and 5,000 wounded.

On Friday, the troops were holed up behind fortifications on their sideof the 40-kilometreborder fence and fired live ammunition andtear gas at protesters at five locations on the Gazan side.

The Israeli military said 10,000 Gazans were participatingin what it described as "riots" and that some had tried to breach the border into Israel. It said troops "had operated inaccordance with the rules of engagement" to stop people crossingthe border.

The Gaza health ministry said at least 200 were wounded by gunfire,including a Palestinian journalist who was hit in the foot by abullet, although other sources gave higher estimates for the number of wounded.

Dozens more people, including four medics, were treated for gasinhalation, as Israeli forces showered the area with tear gas canisters from behind their fortifications in Israel.

Protesters hurled stones and rolled burning tyres toward thefence, and some attached cans of burning petrol to kites andflew them into Israeli territory.

Others cleared away barbed wire coils, which Israeli troopshad placed in Gazan territory overnight in a bid to create a buffer zone between protesters and the fence.

Peace talks stalled

The protests have come at a time of growing frustration forPalestinians as prospects for an independent Palestinian state look poor. Peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians havebeen stalled for several years and Israeli settlements in theoccupied territories have expanded.

In a statement, UNHigh Commissioner for Human Rights ZeidRa'ad al-Hussein called the loss of life deplorable and said a"staggering number" of injuries had been caused by liveammunition.

Israel's foreign ministry had no immediate comment, but thegovernment has consistently said it is protecting its borders and that its troops are following rules of engagement.

Israel's UNenvoy, Danny Danon, told the Security Councilon Thursday that Hamas in Gaza was responsible for Palestiniancasualties and that it was using innocent Palestinian women andchildren as human shieldswhile they cowered behind in safety.

"The terrorists are hiding while allowing, even hoping, fortheir people to die. This is evil in its purest form,"he said.

Hamas denies the Israeli accusations.

"Danon's comments arean attempt to escape responsibility and to cover up for theexecution of unarmed children and people by occupationsoldiers," said Hamas official Mushir Al-Masri.

Named the "Great March of Return,"the protest actionrevives a longstanding demand for the right of return of Palestinian refugees to towns and villages which their familiesfled from, or were driven out of, when the state of Israel wascreated in 1948. Israel refuses any right of return, fearingthat the country would lose its Jewish majority.

More than twomillion Palestinians are packed into the narrowcoastal enclave. Israel withdrew its troops and settlers fromGaza in 2005 but maintains tight control of its land and seaborders. Egypt also restricts movement in and out of Gaza on itsborder.