The
funerals have taken place of five Palestinians killed in an explosion in Gaza
by the boundary wall with Israel.
Hundreds had joined two
rallies at the time of the blast on Wednesday evening.
The Israeli military said
there had been "an attempt by rioters to launch an explosive device"
at its soldiers.
A Palestinian security
source told the BBC that a homemade device "typically used to cause a
disturbance by making a very loud, annoying sound" had exploded as young
men were trying to throw it.
More than 20 people were
injured, Palestinian medics say.
The Israel Defense Forces
(IDF) said protesters had previously thrown explosives and grenades at
soldiers.
A grainy black and white
video released by the IDF shows the explosion close to a concrete wall, which
Israel has built around Gaza, as a small crowd of people runs away.
A graphic Palestinian video
seen by the BBC shows a large group of young men about 2m (6.6ft) from the
Israeli barrier when there is a powerful explosion that appears to kill some
protesters instantly. No Israeli forces are visible.
A witness, Saif Muhareb
said he was with a group of some 50 people.
"We found a black
object that looked like a camera - 10cm wide and 50cm long. I was towards the
back when someone touched it and it exploded."
Tensions in the area have
recently increased after months of relative calm.
Mass protests took place
between 2018 and 2019, known as the Great March of Return.
Israeli snipers opened fire
at protesters during the weekly demonstrations, killing more than 300
Palestinians and injuring thousands of others, according to the Palestinian
health ministry. The Israeli military said it shot at people trying to
infiltrate its territory.
One of Wednesday's
demonstrations was called by Palestinian political factions - including the
militant group Hamas, which governs Gaza - to mark the anniversary of Israel's
unilateral withdrawal from the strip in 2005. Another was called to show
support for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.
On Thursday morning, a
small crowd of mourners gathered to carry the bodies of those killed in the
explosion from Shifa Hospital, in the heart of Gaza City.
Wael al-Zard, a local Hamas
leader and preacher at the Grand Mosque, lost his son, 18-year-old Baraa.
"My heart is sad and
my eyes shed tears over the loss of my son, the joy of my heart," he said.
"But we say, thanks to
God, I'm pleased to be the father of a martyr who sacrificed himself for the
sake of his homeland. He made me hold my head high."
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