Israel threatens more force as Gaza protests leave 16 dead

Bloomberg

Israel threatened to use greater force to quell violent Palestinian protests along the Gaza Strip border, rejecting allegations it used excessive firepower against demonstrations that left at least 16 Palestinians dead.
The protests, which Israel estimated drew 40,000 people, were the first of six weeks of planned anti-Israel actions meant to highlight the Palestinians’ plight as refugees. Israel said that Gaza militants used civilian demonstrators as cover as they fired at soldiers and tried to lay explosives near the border fence. Ismail Haniyeh, the leader of the militant Hamas group that rules Gaza and sponsored the protests, called the killings a “massacre.”
Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman dismissed calls at the United Nations and in Israel for an independent inquiry into action he said was taken to protect his country’s border. In an interview with Israel Radio, he warned that the army “can respond more harshly next time” and would not “hesitate to use everything we have.”
The death toll was the highest daily casualty count in Gaza since Israel’s war with militants there in 2014. While its organisers claim its intent is peaceful, they’ve conceded it could get out of hand. Israel’s biggest fear is that the protests will lead to a mass attempt by militants and civilians to breach the border. The six weeks of demonstrations, bookended by significant dates on the Palestinian calendar, come as Hamas finds itself crippled financially by the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority.