Israel says use of live fire in Gaza rallies in line with int'l law

JERUSALEM, April 29 (Xinhua) -- Israel's state attorney told the Supreme Court on Sunday that the army's rules of engagement in Gaza protests are in line with Israeli and international laws.

Such remarks came in an official statement, following a petition filed by Yesh Din, an Israeli human rights group, which demanded the army to expose its rules of engagement in the Gaza Strip, where weekly marches towards the security fence have been staging since March 30.

The Israeli army responded to the marches with live fire and rubber-coated bullets, killing at least 43 Palestinians and injuring more than 3,500 others.

According to the statement, the marches "are organized, coordinated and directed by Hamas, from which and under guise, tens of clear-cut terrorist activities were carried out."

It stressed that Hamas, a Palestinian Islamist organization that runs Gaza, "has sought to derive military gains from the violent events, particularly creating the opportunity for the infiltration of attackers into Israel."

The United Nations said earlier in April that Israel is engaged in an "excessive use of force." Human rights groups blamed Israel for using snipers to shoot unarmed protesters or protesters who did not pose an immediate threat.

The marches are planned to peak on May 15, the day after the 70th anniversary of Israel's declaration of independence but marked by the Palestinians as the Nakba Day, or "Day of the Catastrophe." Enditem