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Illustrative scene: Palestinian protester is evacuated after being injured during clashes with Israeli security forces near the border with Israel, east of Gaza City in October 2015 (AFP, File) Published by Maan News
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BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) -- At least two Palestinians were shot and injured on Friday during clashes that erupted along the Gaza border with Israel, according to official Palestinian Authority (PA)-owned Wafa new agency.
According to Wafa, two “youth” were injured in separate clashes that erupted along the northern and central areas of the Gaza border with Israel.

One Palestinian was shot with live ammunition in clashes east of the al-Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza. He was reported to be in moderate condition.

Meanwhile along the northern border, one Palestinian was shot by a rubber-coated steel bullet in the foot.

An Israeli police spokesperson was not immediately available for comment.

Clashes between Israeli forces and Palestinian youth in Gaza regularly occur on Fridays near the highly militarized fence along Gaza’s border with Israel.

The clashes often turn violent with Israeli forces firing tear gas, rubber-coated steel bullets, and live ammunition on Palestinians who throw rocks, and, according to the Israeli army, regularly roll burning tires towards the fence.

The United Nations and numerous human rights groups have routinely condemned Israeli authorities for their use of excessive force against Palestinians during clashes, in incidents that did not warrant a violent response.

At least four Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces this year during clashes near the border fence in Gaza, including a 16-year-old Palestinian who was killed in July.

The nearly nine-year Israeli blockade has plunged the Gaza Strip’s some 2 million Palestinians into poverty. The destruction from three Israeli offensives over the past six years and slow reconstruction due to the blockade led the UN to warn that Gaza could be “uninhabitable” by 2020.