GAZA, April 13 (Xinhua) -- Thousands of Palestinians began to arrive to the eastern area of the Gaza Strip on Friday to carry on protests and rallies for the third consecutive Friday of popular rallies and protests.
The Coordination Committee for Marches based in Gaza called on the participants for "burning of the Israeli flag and the raising the Palestinian one."
Sallah Abdulati, a rights activist and member of the committee told Xinhua "We agreed to call the third Friday as Friday of raising the flag."
"During our ongoing activities, the participants are asked to raise and wave Palestinian flags along with the border between eastern Gaza Strip and Israel in five different areas," he said.
Abdulati added "during these activities, Israeli flags will be also burned to absorb the anger of the Palestinian participants until Israel meets the demands of the populations in the Gaza Strip, especially lifting the blockade."
Around twenty-five-meter long masts were set up in five main areas along the Gaza-Israeli border for raising the flags.
Friday prayers will be held outside the tents, which were erected 700 hundreds of meters away from the fence of the border.
"I expect that more people will join the rallies and I expect more use of Israeli violence against the participants. Israel over the past two Fridays was using excessive force against the demonstrations," said Abdulati.
He went on saying "no one on the world has so far succeeded to oblige Israel to stop violent repression against us, therefore, I expect that tomorrow the Israeli army will continue with its policy of targeting the participants."
Hamas and other Palestinian factions in the Gaza Strip began in March 30 six-week rallies and called it the Great Marches of return.
The marches are scheduled to continue until May 15, the 70 anniversary for the establishment of the state of Israel.
The Gaza Health Ministry said in an official figure that 34 Palestinians were killed, including the corps of two Hamas militants, and more than 2,800 wounded since the start of the popular rallies in Gaza in March 30.
