Three Palestinians wounded in Monday protests die: Gaza ministry

Three Palestinians have died from their wounds days after being shot by Israeli troops during protests in the Gaza Strip, the territory's health ministry said today.

Their deaths bring to 62 the total number of Palestinians killed by Israeli gunfire on Monday, when thousands of Palestinians protested as the US officially moved its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

The three men were 20-year-old Mohammed Mazen Alyan, 58-year-old Moein Abdel-Hamid Al-Saai, and 21-year-old Ahmed Samara, the Hamas-run ministry said in a statement.

The ministry said Alyan was wounded east of the Al-Bureij refugee camp, while other medical sources reported Al-Saai was wounded to the east of Gaza City. Samara was wounded east of Jabalia, in the north of the enclave.

Since March 30, Palestinians have been marching to demand the right to return to their homes in territory seized by Israel in the 1948 war surrounding the creation of the Jewish state.

A total of 119 Palestinians have since been killed by Israeli gunfire on the border between the Gaza Strip and the Jewish State, according to authorities in Gaza, which is run by the Islamist movement Hamas.

Israel says it has done everything it can to limit civilian casualties and has used lived ammunition only as a last resort.

The Israeli army insists its actions are necessary to defend the border and prevent mass infiltrations.

It accuses Hamas of using the demonstrations to approach and damage the border fence, including laying explosive devices and attacking soldiers.