A Palestinian man, who had been critically wounded by Israeli army gunfire during anti-occupation protests along the border between the besieged Gaza Strip and the Israeli-occupied territories nearly four months ago, has died of his injuries.
The spokesman for the Gaza Ministry of Health, Ashraf al-Qidra, said in a statement on Monday that 30-year-old Wissam Yousef Hijazi had passed away.
He had been shot and severely injured during “The Great March of Return” protests in the southern Gaza Strip city of Abasan al-Kabira on May 14.
Hihaji’s death brings to 168 the number of Palestinians, who have been killed by Israeli forces ever since protests rallies against the decades-long Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands began in the Gaza Strip on March 30.
A total of 14,811 Palestinians have also sustained injuries, of whom 366 are reportedly in critical condition.
The Gaza Ministry of Health in a report released on Saturday announced that more than 18,000 Palestinians have also sustained injuries, of whom 370 are paramedics.
Additionally, nearly 70 ambulances have been damaged since the start of "The Great March of Return" protests in the besieged coastal sliver.
The Gaza clashes reached their peak on May 14, on the eve of the 70th anniversary of Nakba Day (Day of Catastrophe), which coincided this year with the US embassy relocation from Tel Aviv to occupied East Jerusalem al-Quds.
On June 13, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution, sponsored by Turkey and Algeria, condemning Israel for Palestinian civilian deaths in the Gaza Strip.
The resolution, which had been put forward on behalf of Arab and Muslim countries, garnered a strong majority of 120 votes in the 193-member assembly, with 8 votes against and 45 abstentions.
The resolution called on UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres to make proposals within 60 days “on ways and means for ensuring the safety, protection, and well-being of the Palestinian civilian population under Israeli occupation,” including “recommendations regarding an international protection mechanism.”
It also called for “immediate steps towards ending the closure and the restrictions imposed by Israel on movement and access into and out of the Gaza Strip.”