Six Palestinians were wounded Friday when Israeli troops opened fire on demonstrators in the Gaza Strip as they neared the border fence, medics in the besieged territory said. Thousands of people joined the demonstration called by Hamas to demand that Israel lift its crippling blockade of the impoverished enclave. The protesters marched from the cities of Rafah and Khan Yunes in southern Gaza towards the Sufa border crossing, waving banners calling for the end of the “Holocaust” they say Israel is committing in Gaza. They also chanted praise for Hamas. Gaza emergency services said six people were wounded when Israeli forces fired on the protesters who approached the frontier fence. A military spokesman said Israeli forces would “operate in all strength to prevent anybody from damaging the fence or the crossing or entering” the country. Abbas, Olmert to meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert will meet Monday to discuss peace talks, which are threatened by a major political crisis in Israel, officials said Friday. The meeting will take place at Olmert's Jerusalem residence, senior Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat said. A senior Israeli government official confirmed the two leaders would meet before Olmert leaves for Washington.
