GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) – Palestinians observed a general strike Tuesday to mourn dozens killed by Israeli army fire in the single deadliest day in Gaza since a 2014 war, as organizers said the day would be set aside for funerals and that turnout for any new protests on the border with Israel would likely be low.
The Islamic militant Hamas, which rules the territory, had initially said mass border protests would continue Tuesday. The day marks the 70th anniversary of what Palestinians call their “nakba,” or catastrophe – the uprooting of hundreds of thousands in the Mideast war over Israel’s 1948 creation.
On Monday, the world witnessed scenes of jarring contrast. Israeli forces killed 58 Palestinians, most by gunfire, and injured more than 2,700 during mass protests along the Gaza border, while just a few miles away Israel and the U.S. held a festive inauguration ceremony for the new American Embassy in contested Jerusalem.
The high casualty toll in Gaza revived international criticism of Israel’s use of lethal force against unarmed protesters, while the opening of the embassy, condemned by Palestinians as blatantly pro-Israel, further dimmed prospects of what President Donald Trump had once touted as plans to negotiate the Mideast “deal of the century.”
The U.N. Security Council planned to meet Tuesday to discuss the violence, though it was not clear what might come out of the session. Two U.N. diplomats said members couldn’t reach unanimous agreement on issuing a proposed statement, circulated by Kuwait, that would have expressed “outrage and sorrow” over the killings and sought an independent investigation. The diplomats spoke on condition of anonymity because the discussions were supposed to be private.