Moscow: Israel's Use of Force Against Palestinians in Gaza 'Unacceptable'

The Russian Foreign Ministry has commented on the mass protests of Palestinians on the Israeli-Gaza border called the Great March of Return that has lead to more than 1,000 being injured.

Russia considers that the indiscriminate use of force against the civilian population on the border between Israel and the Gaza Strip to be unacceptable and calls upon Palestinians and Israelis to refrain from steps that will provoke the further increase of dangerous tensions, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

According to the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Information and Press Department, as a result of the Israeli army’s actions, including with the use of firearms, to suppress these protests on April 6-7, 10 Palestinians were killed, including one journalist and two teenagers, over a thousand were poisoned with tear gas or injured. Thus, the total number of dead Palestinians in the past two weeks of mass protests has reached 30 people, the ministry report says.

"On the morning of April 9, Israeli aircraft caused several missile strikes on facilities in Gaza. Considering that the indiscriminate use of force against the civilian population is absolutely unacceptable, we once again call upon the Palestinians and Israelis to refrain from steps that will provoke further growth of dangerous tension, " the ministry said.

READ MORE: Palestinians' Mass Protests on Gaza Border in Pictures

Moscow is convinced that under the current circumstances, not only urgent measures for stabilizing and de-escalating the situation are needed more than ever, but also concrete political efforts aimed at achieving a lasting peace between Palestinians and Israelis on an internationally known legal basis, according to the ministry statement.

Palestinian protesters burn tires, sending smoke billowing at Gaza-Israel border demanding refugees be allowed to return to their homes.; Israeli troops fire back sporadically. As some protesters moved closer to the fence the Palestinians mean the smoke to block the view of the IDF snipers on the other side of the border.