3 Palestinians killed by Israeli forces at Gaza border

Three Palestinians were shot and killed while attempting to cross into Israel from southern Gaza on Sunday, according to the Israeli military.

A fourth Palestinian also attempted to enter with the group, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement, though it wouldn’t comment on the person’s condition or location.

Two of the deceased were identified by the Palestinian Ministry of Health as 23-year-old Bahaa Qdeih and 20-year-old Mohammed Abu Rida.

“In this incident, an attempt to damage the security infrastructure, breach Israel’s sovereignty and carry out an attack was thwarted,” a statement from the IDF said.

Sunday’s deaths came after six weeks of protests by Palestinians along the Israel-Gaza border. Since the protests began at the end of March, 51 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces, according to a CNN count based on figures from the Palestinian Ministry of Health.

No Israeli soldiers have been killed or injured.

Palestinians are calling for an end to Israel’s blockade of the territory and their right to return to lands their families fled or were expelled from during Israel’s founding seven decades ago.

Israel has said Hamas is playing a leading role in the demonstrations and has accused the group of exploiting protesters to pursue its own interests.