Palestinian youth succumbs to Israeli gunfire wounds sustained during Gaza rally

A young Palestinian man, who was critically wounded by Israeli army gunfire nearly a week ago during an anti-occupation protest along the border between the besieged Gaza Strip and occupied territories, has succumbed to his injuries.

The spokesman for the Gaza Ministry of Health, Ashraf al-Qidra, said in a statement that 23-year-old Naji Ghuniem died of his injuries at a hospital in occupied Jerusalem al-Quds on Wednesday noon.

 He had been shot and wounded near al-Awdah refugee camp east of Rafah city, located 30 kilometers south of Gaza City.

Ghuniem’s death brings to 118 the total number of Palestinians killed by Israeli forces since the “Great March of Return” began in Gaza Strip on March 30. Fourteen children are among the fallen Palestinians.

About 13,300 Palestinians also sustained injuries, of whom 300 are in a critical condition.

The occupied territories have witnessed new tensions ever since US President Donald Trump on December 6, 2017 announced Washington's recognition of Jerusalem al-Quds as Israel’s “capital” and said the US would move its embassy to the city.

The dramatic decision triggered demonstrations in the occupied Palestinian territories and elsewhere in the world.

The status of Jerusalem al-Quds is the thorniest issue in the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The Palestinians see East Jerusalem as the capital of their future state.

On May 17, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said the Israeli regime should be brought before the International Criminal Court for the recent Gaza massacre.

“Israel should be taken to the International Criminal Court [over the killing of Palestinians]. Since third parties cannot do it, Palestine needs to initiate this,” Cavusoglu said in an interview with state broadcaster TRT.

In a final communiqué issued following an emergency meeting in Istanbul on May 18, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) condemned the May 14 massacre of dozens of Gazans as "savage crimes committed by the Israeli forces with the backing of the US administration."

It also urged the UN to "form an international investigation committee into the recent atrocities in the Gaza Strip, and enable the committee to initiate field investigation."

The OIC further demanded "the international protection of the Palestinian population including through dispatching of international protection force" in the face of "unchecked crimes" committed by the Tel Aviv regime.

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