In Gaza, Israeli forces killed four Palestinians, including three teenagers, at a mass demonstration Saturday marking the first anniversary of the Great March of Return. The teenage boys were identified as Tamer Abu el-Khair, Adham Amara and Belal al-Najjar—all 17 years old. Twenty-year-old Mohamed Jihad Saad was also killed by Israeli forces in a smaller protest earlier on Saturday. Israeli soldiers used live ammunition, tear gas and rubber bullets on the protesters. Tens of thousands of Palestinians came out to demand an end to the ongoing siege of Gaza and the right to return to their ancestral land. This is a protester speaking Saturday.

Palestinian protester: “What I want to stress is that any attempt to obscure the consciousness and rights of Palestinians is bound to fail, as generation after generation of our people would recall our homeland. That is why we’ve come to participate in the demonstration. Although Palestine is in a difficult plight, what we want to say is that any plot against Palestine is doomed to failure.”

We’ll have more on the Gaza protests with Ahmed Abu Artema, Palestinian poet, journalist and peace activist who inspired the Great March of Return, later in the broadcast.