GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — The Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, Maj. Gen. Kamil Abu Rukun, warned Palestinians in the Gaza Strip of harsh retaliation and zero tolerance in response to any hostilities against Israel during Palestinian protests set for Friday Nov. 16 on the eastern border. Abu Rukun addressed Palestinians in an Arabic-language video on his Facebook page on Nov. 15.
On Nov. 16, thousands of Palestinian protesters headed to the eastern border of the Gaza Strip as part of the marches of return protests that started March 30 and are aimed at breaking the Israeli siege imposed on Gaza since 2007. Forty protesters sustained injuries by Israeli army fire; no casualties were reported.