By Moustafa Haboosh, Afra Aksoy and Hacer Başer

GAZA CITY, Palestine (AA): A peaceful Palestinian demonstrator was killed and 20 others were injured by Israeli soldiers, the Palestinian Health Ministry said on Sunday.

In a statement, Dr. Ashraf al-Qedra, the spokesperson for the ministry said that Emad Daoud Ishteyvi, 21, was shot in the head by Israeli fire in the eastern Gaza Strip.

One of the injured was in critical condition, the statement added.

Since the latest round of Palestinian rallies began in late March, scores of Palestinians have been killed — and thousands injured — by Israeli troops deployed along the other side of the buffer zone.

Protesters are demanding the “right of return” to their homes and villages in historical Palestine from which they were driven in 1948 to make way for the new state of Israel.

They also demand an end to Israel’s 11-year blockade of the Gaza Strip, which has gutted the coastal enclave’s economy and deprived its more than 2 million inhabitants of many basic commodities.

Separately, Israeli jets hit peaceful Palestinian demonstrators along the Gaza border.

No statement was made indicating if there were any casualties from the airstrikes.

About the attack, the Israeli army claimed in a statement: “For months, Gazans have been launching arson balloons at Israel.”

In recent weeks, Palestinian activists have been flying burning kites and balloons over Israeli territory as part of ongoing anti-occupation protests along the Gaza-Israel buffer zone.

Additional report by The Muslim News

[Photo: Emad Daoud Ishteyvi, 21, was shot in the head by Israeli fire in the eastern Gaza Strip. Photograph by Imemc.org]