One year ago, Palestinians trapped in Gaza began a protest movement at the frontier with Israel that was intended to last six weeks.
Men, women and children demanded recognition of the right of Palestinian refugees in Gaza and elsewhere to return to their ancestral homes in Israel and for an end to a punishing blockade that has made life unliveable.
Israeli snipers fired live ammunition, killing and maiming dozens. This lethal response on 30 March 2018 triggered anger and disbelief across the world but has not stopped.
A year later, the rallies continue. Thousands have bullet wounds through their legs. The streets of Gaza are filled with people limping or in wheelchairs. Children, journalists and medics have been killed, even when they were standing far back from the fence. The UN has said Israel’s military may have committed war crimes, deliberately targeting civilians.
Almost 29,000 Palestinians have been injured since the protests began and more than 190 killed.
Each grey circle represents one Palestinian injured between 30 March 2018 and 21 March 2019, red circles highlight those who have been killed. Data is provided by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
Women and children make up more than one in four of those injured and killed.
Among those killed was 15-year-old Youssef al-Daya, who was shot by the Israeli army on 22 February.
May 2018 was the bloodiest month since the protests began, with more than 6,000 Palestinians injured or killed.
Pictured is a Palestinian protester using a slingshot to hurl stones at Israeli troops in May 2018.
Palestinians have been killed by live ammunition, shrapnel and teargas canisters.
Alaa al-Daly (pictured), a Palestinian cyclist, lost his leg due to a bullet fired by Israeli soldiers during a protest at the border.
Protesters have hurled rocks and molotov cocktails and attempted to damage and break through the fence using wire cutters and, in some cases, explosives.
The Israeli army has said its forces have opened fire to protect against attacks and incursions. Four troops have been injured during the protests, and one soldier was killed by a bullet fired from Gaza.
How has life in Gaza changed since the protests began?
Gaza’s economy is in freefall, according to the World Bank, which blames the blockade, multiple wars with Israel, and internal rivalries among Palestinian factions.
Days Of Palestine [Gaza] – the Ministry of Health reported that more than 260 Palestinians were killed, more than 28,000 injured by the Israeli occupation forces in the Great March of Return protests.
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