By Mohamed Majid

GAZA CITY, Palestine

At least 20 Palestinians were injured Tuesday by Israeli army gunfire while taking part in demonstrations in the northern Gaza Strip near the Gaza-Israel maritime fence.

Ashraf al-Qidra, a spokesman for Gaza’s Health Ministry, confirmed that at least 20 protesters had been injured by live ammunition.

Hundreds of Palestinians took part in Tuesday’s demonstration, which was organized by Gaza’s National Authority for Breaking the Siege.

Demonstrators demand an end to Israel’s 12-year blockade of the Gaza Strip, which has gutted the coastal enclave’s economy and deprived its roughly two million inhabitants of many basic commodities.